Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived at Turkey’s Presidential Complex shortly after 8:00 p.m., accompanied by his wife, Mareva, to attend the NATO leaders’ dinner hosted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan. The venue was familiar to the Greek premier, having hosted the most recent Greece–Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council only a few months earlier. This time, however, all eyes are on Ankara as the NATO Summit officially gets underway, with an expedited schedule designed to accommodate what officials describe as President Trump’s impatience.

Amid formal receptions and informal conversations between leaders, Mitsotakis projected confidence as the leader of one of the few NATO members already meeting the Alliance’s new defence spending targets. Following last year’s Hague agreement setting the benchmark at 5% of GDP—3.5% for defence spending and 1.5% for defence-related infrastructure—Greece now stands alongside Poland and the three Baltic states in meeting that objective.

Focus on Trump–Erdoğan meeting

Athens was particularly focused on Tuesday’s meeting between Trump and Erdoğan and on discussions, both public and behind closed doors, regarding the possible lifting of US sanctions on Turkey and a potential return to the F-35 fighter jet programme.

On the aircraft issue, Trump appeared more restrained, while speaking more openly about sanctions, arguing that “there should be no sanctions on friends.” The message was widely seen as directed at Congress, where a two-thirds majority would be required to remove restrictions imposed under the CAATSA sanctions legislation during Trump’s first term.

Despite Trump’s rhetoric, Greek officials remain calm, while recognising his apparent willingness to assist Erdoğan, who welcomed the US president with the kind of grand ceremony that appeals to him.

Congress and Israel remain major obstacles

According to Greek government sources, the appropriate reading of Trump’s remarks is that he expressed support for lifting sanctions but left the issue of F-35 deliveries unresolved.

For Athens, two significant obstacles remain: the US Congress and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to supplying Turkey with F-35 fighter jets during an interview with CNN on Tuesday, warning against strengthening Ankara’s military capabilities. Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington in the coming days for comprehensive talks with Trump.

Greece highlights its own defence progress

Mitsotakis is expected to outline Greece’s position after the conclusion of the NATO Summit.

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stressed on Tuesday that Greece has dramatically strengthened its defence posture since 2019.

“When this government took office in 2019, Greece was outside both the F-35 programme and the F-16 upgrade programme. Today, six and a half years later, Greece has secured 20 state-of-the-art F-35s, with an option for another 20, bringing the total to 40. The first aircraft will arrive in November 2029 and will be based at Andravida. As for the F-16s, whereas Greece had been excluded from the upgrade programme, 56 aircraft have already been upgraded, with the total eventually reaching 83, all to the new Viper standard.”

He argued that the contrast with Turkey is clear.

“In 2019, Turkey was on track to receive F-35s. Today, it is trying to regain access to the programme, while Greece has already secured its place and has a clear delivery timetable,” Marinakis said.