AHI Commends Rep. Pappas Led Letter Urging State Department to Reject Türkiye’s Request for F-35s
No. 57
WASHINGTON, D.C. — WASHINGTON - On August 7, 2025, Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH) joined Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), and Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) to lead a letter signed by 40 Members of Congress to the U.S. Department of State, calling on it to reject Türkiye’s request to rejoin the F-35 program. AHI commends Rep. Pappas and the Hellenic Caucus for their leadership and advocacy on this issue.
Türkiye was originally banned from receiving F-35s after being sanctioned by the United States through the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchasing the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system. This system poses a security risk to the fighter jet program by creating the opportunity to expose U.S. military technology to Russia.
The letter comes following reports that Türkiye has recently been attempting to negotiate with the Trump administration to be allowed back into the program. In line with the letter sent by Members of Congress, AHI also urges the Department of State to categorically reject any possibility of Türkiye receiving F-35s.
In addition to advocacy efforts from AHI, support for the letter received widespread support from the Greek American community and other NGOs, including AHEPA, American Jewish Committee (AJC), American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, CUFI Action Fund, FDD Action, the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), Middle East Forum (MEF), and PSEKA – International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus.
Read the press release from the office of Representative Chris Pappas here.
The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) is a non-profit policy center and think tank founded in 1974 that promotes the interests of the United States in foreign affairs involving Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Southern Europe.
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