Greek American lawmakers, among others, express serious concerns about U.S. national security, calling on the Trump administration to respect the law before proceeding with any sale of American fighter jets F-16 and F-35 to Turkey.

The lawmakers, including Chris Pappas, Gus Bilirakis, Dina Titus, and Nicole Malliotakis, voice strong concerns over U.S. national security, warning that the planned sale of American F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Turkey runs contrary to U.S. law.

The group of 20 lawmakers in total sent a letter to the Secretaries of State and Defense, Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth respectively, urging the administration to honor legal obligations before moving forward with the sale of the fighter jets.

They also point out that Turkey possesses the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which is considered a serious threat to U.S. national security, as it can monitor and analyze U.S. military aircraft such as the F-16 and F-35. If the Russian system operates alongside American aircraft, it allows Russian intelligence services access to strategic data, thereby endangering U.S. technology.

In 2019, Turkey was removed from the F-35 program after its decision to purchase the Russian S-400 system, an action that violates the CAATSA law (Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) and has led to sanctions against Turkey.

The lawmakers emphasize that the sale of F-16 and F-35 aircraft to Turkey without the required certification from Congress would be a clear violation of U.S. law and would undermine the authority of Congress.

It is worth noting that, in Congress, Republicans hold a majority with 219 lawmakers, while Democrats have 215. In practice, this means that if the sale of American fighter jets goes before Congress and some of Trump’s lawmakers disagree, it will require the support of Democrats in order to pass.