UPDATE - Greeces Prime Minister Says US To Supply Significant Military Equipment To Athens Soon

The United States will soon provide Greece with "significant military equipment" for free, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thursday.

"I mean not only the approval of (the delivery of) F-35 (fighter jets), which is very important, but also the possibility of getting surplus (military) equipment, significant surplus equipment that will be given to us for free. That is what the US is doing and has every reason to do it to a greater extent for a good ally like Greece," Mitsotakis said in an interview with Greek broadcaster Skai while expressing hope that F-35s would be delivered in 2028.

The prime minister noted that Athens was engaged in talks with Washington, having signed "a very strong defense agreement for five years," adding that he believed Greece "will soon have good news regarding the support that the US provides to Greece - always and regardless of what happens in the negotiations with Turkey."

Mitsotakis also said that the construction of French-made Belharra-class frigates for Greece was ahead of schedule, adding that the first frigate would be delivered in September.

He noted that other weapons programs were also going well, adding that Athens' responsibility was to "have a very strong deterrence capacity," especially against Turkey, adding that he believed Greece "has been able to achieve that at a rapid pace."

In 2019 and 2021, Washington and Athens amended the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allowed the US to establish new military bases on the territory of Greece and expanded the term of the agreement from one to five years.