Erdogan calls on Germany to remove obstacles for Eurofighter sales

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to remove obstacles to the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Türkiye, following Türkiye’s decision to scale back a $23 billion contract for F-16s with the U.S.

After a NATO summit in Washington, President Erdogan revealed that Türkiye is in talks to acquire engines for its warships and critical turbines from Siemens for the Akkuyu nuclear plant, a $24 billion project being developed by Russia on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast.

Türkiye is also eager to secure fighter jet deals in response to Greece’s purchase of Rafale fighters and planned acquisition of F-35 warplanes. These efforts come amid ongoing territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean with neighboring NATO allies.

Scholz’s administration has blocked Eurofighter Typhoon sales to Türkiye due to concerns over Türkiye’s purchase of Russian air defenses, its military operations against Kurdish forces in Syria, and delays in ratifying Sweden’s NATO membership until January. Erdogan clarified, “Scholz has not taken a negative stance on Eurofighters.”