US to sell Greece F-35 fighter jets that rival Turkey originally ordered

The United States intends to sell six F-35 fighter jets to Greece, Greek media reported Wednesday.

The sale comes amid rising tensions between Athens and Ankara, particularly over gas exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, which both countries lay claim to.

Turkey is seemingly embroiling itself in numerous international spats, including a high-profile disagreement between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron over the latter’s support of freedom of expression in regards to Prophet Mohammed cartoons.

It transpires that the F-35s that will likely be delivered to Greece, were originally ordered by Turkey’s air force, the reports said, only to be later struck down by the Trump administration.

The reason for the shift in Washington’s stance was reportedly due to Turkey’s latest military drill using the Russian S-400 air defense system.

The US has long expressed its discontent regarding a Turkish-Russian security cooperation, even threatening with sanctions, particularly as the Turks are a NATO ally.

A recent visit of US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Greece concluded with the decision to sell 20 fighter jets to Athens, with the first six arriving in 2022, Hebrew-language outlet Maariv reported.

Moreover, the defense agreement between the US and Greece, which is about to expire in the coming days, is expected to be extended by the Greek parliament until 2025.

On Friday, the US US Department of Defense condemned “in the strongest terms Turkey’s October 16 test of the S-400 air defense system. We are opposed to Turkey testing this system, it could have serious consequences for our defense relations,” it added.