Barrack on S-400 and F-35: “I won’t even talk about Greece–Turkey issues, they’ll ban me from going to Mykonos again”

At the Antalya Forum, US Ambassador Tom Barrack said helium believes the S-400 contented volition beryllium resolved soon. He noted that, from Donald Trump’s perspective, Turkey’s information successful the F-35 programme is acceptable, portion Greece possesses some S-300 systems and F-35 aircraft.

The ambassador avoided commenting connected Greek–Turkish relations, humorously saying helium did not privation to hazard being “banned from going to Mykonos again.”

Barrack had made akin remarks successful December 2025, predicting a solution wrong 4–6 months.

Some successful Turkey person expressed dissatisfaction with his statements, considering that helium intervenes successful matters of authorities policy.

Regarding Turkey’s efforts to rejoin the F-35 program—which is intimately linked to the Russian S-400 rocket strategy it inactive possesses—Barrack spoke astatine the Antalya Forum. He linked Turkey’s aspirations to Greece, which “has S-300s and F-35s,” arsenic helium said, portion choosing not to remark connected Greek–Turkish relations.

“I deliberation the S-400 contented volition beryllium resolved soon. From my boss’s position (Donald Trump), joining the F-35 programme is fine. Greece has S-300s and F-35s. As for the Greece–Turkey issue, it’s different humanities contented I won’t adjacent effort to address, due to the fact that they’ll prohibition maine from going to Mykonos again,” helium said jokingly.

He besides recalled that successful December 2025 successful Doha, helium had suggested that Turkey mightiness region its S-400 systems successful bid to instrumentality to the F-35 program, saying helium believed these issues would beryllium resolved wrong 4–6 months.

Last September, during President Erdoğan’s sojourn to the White House, the S-400 contented was discussed with Donald Trump and imaginable solutions were reportedly proposed, but nary follow-up occurred. Barrack’s caller statements, arsenic good arsenic earlier ones astatine the extremity of 2025, person brought the contented backmost into the spotlight, and it remains to beryllium seen whether, arsenic helium claims, a solution volition soon beryllium found.

It should beryllium noted that the US ambassador has occasionally irritated Turkey, arsenic helium is seen by immoderate arsenic interfering successful authorities argumentation matters beyond his diplomatic role.