US lawmakers sound alarm over Turkey’s aggressive behavior, urge Trump to confront Erdogan
A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers is raising serious concerns about Turkey’s increasingly unpredictable and hostile behavior under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging President Donald Trump to directly address him in any upcoming meeting. In a detailed and forceful letter, the lawmakers warn that Ankara’s conduct threatens NATO cohesion, undermines regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and stands in direct opposition to core US interests, allies and values.
Central among their concerns is Turkey’s escalating aggression toward its neighbors, most notably Greece and Cyprus. The letter highlights continuous violations of Greek airspace by Turkish fighter jets, including US supplied F-16s and repeated incursions into Greek territorial waters. Such behavior, they argue, is incompatible with the responsibilities of a NATO ally and poses a persistent threat to peace in the region. “This behavior is unacceptable for a NATO ally” the lawmakers write “despite the overall easing of tensions between Greece and Turkey, we are particularly troubled by the sudden uptick in violations of Greek air space with US provided F-16 jets in Ankara’s possession and the violations of Greece’s territorial waters which have occurred throughout the last year.”
The letter also strongly opposes any consideration of Turkey’s readmission to the F-35 fighter jet program, citing Ankara’s continued deployment of the Russian S-400 system.“No F-35s while S-400s remain” the lawmakers declare, warning that reversing this decision would jeopardize regional military balance and NATO security.
The letter further criticizes Turkey’s aggressive maritime claims under the “Blue Homeland” doctrine, Turkish claims over natural gas deposits near Cyprus and the signing of a maritime agreement with Libya’s provisional government-all in defiance of international law-are seen as part of a broader effort to assert regional dominance and challenge the sovereignty of neighboring states. The lawmakers argue that such actions violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and are driven by Erdogan’s revisionist, neo-Ottoman ambitions.
The lawmakers also condemn Erdogan’s support for Hamas and his characterization of it as a “liberation movement.” They also note that Turkey has become a safe haven for senior Hamas leaders, that Erdogan’s government has suspended all trade with Israel, obstructed NATO-Israel cooperation and hosted inflammatory speeches calling for further violence-while simultaneously engaging in antisemitic rhetoric at international forums. The lawmakers characterize these actions as “deeply troubling” and incompatible with US values and strategic partnerships in the region.
In addition to Turkey’s destabilizing foreign policy, the letter draws attention to Erdogan’s tightening grip on domestic power. It cites the recent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu alongside mass raids targeting political opponents and the broader erosion of democratic institutions in Turkey. The lawmakers point to the growing use of anti-terror and disinformation laws to silence dissent, the restriction of peaceful assembly and widespread abuses of human rights, particularly against women, minorities and disabled individuals.
Moreover, the lawmakers express concern about Turkey’s alignment with global authoritarian powers. Erdogan has expressed interest in joining anti-Western alliances such as BRICS while also deepening cooperation with Russia, supporting Islamist groups in Syria and contributing to instability in regions such as Sudan and Iraqi Kurdistan.
“It is in the interests of the United States for Turkey to be a strong, reliable ally within NATO,” the lawmakers write. “But Erdogan has demonstrated time and again that his personal and political agenda is increasingly misaligned with US values and strategic interests.”
The letter concludes with a call for President Trump to confront Erdogan on key issues and they argue that failing to do so would embolden him further and risk long-term damage to transatlantic security and US credibility. “Μr President, in anticipation of your reported meeting with President Erdogan, we respectfully urge you to bring up the following topics in your discussions:
– Turkey’s use of US provided F-16s to routinely incur upon Greek sovereign airspace
– The impossibility of Turkey’s re-admittance into the F-35 program while Ankara retains the S-400
– Erdogan’s adoption of revisionist policies that are beneficial to Russia at the expense of NATO cohesion and security
– Erdogan’s problematic “Blue Homeland” policy and the danger it poses to Greek and Cypriot sovereignty and the integrity of their territorial waters and maritime zones, undermining the overall peace and stability of the Eastern Mediterranean
– The personal and political ties Erdogan maintains with senior Hamas leaders and the sympathy he demonstrates toward Hamas’s goals of eliminating the State of Israel
– The antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric Erdogan habitually spews
– The continued illegal occupation of Cyprus
– Respect for human rights and political opposition within an alleged democracy like Turkey.
The letter is signed by a large bipartisan group of lawmakers. These include Dina Titus, Gregory Meeks, Brad Schneider, Chris Pappas, Vern Buchanan, William Keating, Dan Goldman, Lloyd Doggett, Wesley Bell, Emanuel Cleaver, Jim Costa, Ted Lieu, Josh Gottheimer, James McGovern, Frank Pallone, Grace Meng, Ritchie Torres, Gus Bilirakis, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Greg Landsman, Joaquin Castro and Julie Johnson.
