F-16s to Ankara, F-35s to Athens come with caveat

Using US military articles provided to NATO allies for "non-legitimate military purposes" could trigger the suspension or cancellation of all or part of the delivery of the equipment, according to the final draft of a letter of assurance written by the US Department of State, at the demand of the US Congress in the context of negotiations during the NATO Summit at Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2023.

The final July 2023 draft, seen by Kathimerini, explicitly states that US defense articles provided to NATO allies must be used for legitimate military purposes and clearly must not be used to conduct military activities against other NATO allies.

As Kathimerini has repeatedly noted since the summer of 2023, the letter lays out in detail the precise process that the State Department is to follow if a NATO member uses the defense equipment in a "contrary manner."

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