In the eastern Mediterranean, an old rivalry is heating up again. Following the United States’ refusal to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, Ankara has turned its gaze toward Greece and Cyprus. Turkey’s defense ministry issued a pointed message declaring it is “closely monitoring” the arms buildup and military movements of both countries in the Eastern Aegean and Mediterranean.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking from Sofia, countered by calling for a new European borrowing instrument specifically for defense and touted Greece’s role in protecting Bulgarian airspace. The joint front between Athens and Sofia underscores how southeastern Europe is increasingly binding itself together in response to Turkish assertiveness — and how defense spending is becoming one of the EU’s defining political battles.
