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Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they are flanked by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on February 24, 2025. [Murat Cetinmuhurdar\/PPO\/Handout via Reuters]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Serious concerns -and some praise-regarding Turkey\u2019s role as a US and NATO ally were voiced during a congressional hearing, where lawmakers and experts debated Ankara\u2019s increasingly independent foreign policy and its reliability within the alliance.<\/p>\n
Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, several panelists argued that Turkey can no longer be counted on to defend NATO\u2019s collective interests, as it pursues its own strategic agenda. However, others defended Turkey\u2019s role, highlighting its geopolitical importance and contributions to the alliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkey seems solely focused on advancing President Erdogan\u2019s neo-Ottoman ambitions,\u201d said Representative Dina Titus, a Democrat, during Wednesday\u2019s hearing. She argued that the United States would be better served by strengthening its relationship with Greece, which she described as a more dependable and consistent ally in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stated that \u201cGreece best represents US interests in the region. Allowing Greece to maintain its qualitative and strategic advantage over Turkey is crucial, as it provides a deterrent to Turkey\u2019s historic aggression toward Greece. This balance should not be upset and would be upended if Turkey were to acquire the F35. Erdogan\u2019s fundamental positions and claims, which violate Greek and Cypriot sovereignty, remain unchanged\u201d.<\/p>\n
Turkey \u201cplays an integral role in the current geopolitical landscape\u201d and possesses a \u201cunique ability to put NATO\u2019s security mandate into action\u201d but its \u201cwillingness to do so\u201d remains a significant concern, said Representative Mark Green, a Republican and chair of the House Homeland Security Committee.<\/p>\n
The US must begin asking \u201chard questions\u201d about Ankara\u2019s recent policies, including its stance toward Israel and support for Hamas, its actions in Syria, its deepening ties with Russia, and its growing overtures to China, said Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who testified before the committee. He accused Ankara of harboring aspirations for \u201cregional or global domination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkey has aggressively challenged Greece and Cyprus in their own exclusive economic zones, engaging in illegal drilling and pushing its Blue Homeland policy to assert control over international waters. This cannot continue if NATO is to maintain even a semblance of stability,\u201d Schanzer told lawmakers.<\/p>\n
He also urged Congress to restrict major arms sales to Turkey until it demonstrates a clear shift in its priorities. \u201cI am concerned about giving the F-35 to this government in Turkey. I believe it would be used to further Turkey\u2019s aggressive posture in the region, and I fear it could lead to clashes between Greece and Turkey,\u201d he said, referring to the US fighter jet program. \u201cWe should not put them back on the program, and even if they relinquish the S-400, there should be a cooling-off period-probably several years-before we consider providing them with the F-35. There needs to be a price to pay when our allies disobey clear directives, as we gave the Turks. We told them not to buy the S-400, yet they did so anyway. They should pay a steep price,\u201d Schanzer added, echoing ongoing concerns about Ankara\u2019s acquisition of the Russian missile defense system.<\/p>\n
On the issue of Turkey\u2019s procurement of the Russian S-400 missile system, Celeste Wallander, until recently the Assistant Secretary of Defense, emphasized the importance of NATO interoperability and the alliance\u2019s transition toward the F-35 as a core capability.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that-because the United States is a member of NATO and because the American people are only as secure as the alliance is strong-it is in our interest to ensure advanced military capabilities remain within NATO,\u201d Wallander said. \u201cInteroperability across the alliance is extremely important. If Turkey were to undo its mistake regarding the S-400 in a verifiable, irreversible manner with the right provisions and security guarantees, it would align with US national interests. However, any such move should be approached with due caution and a period of assessment to ensure it remains in the US interest going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee also heard from Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who highlighted Ankara\u2019s deepening ties with Moscow in energy and trade. However, she noted that tensions between Turkey and Russia have surfaced over Syria and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
She argued that the US should better leverage Turkey\u2019s strategic position in the Black Sea to curb Russian influence and reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. Additionally, Washington could collaborate with Ankara to counterbalance Moscow\u2019s ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the South Caucasus. \u201cI think the best way to encourage positive progress is to take a pragmatic, practical approach and compartmentalize our relationship. Turkey is a problematic ally on many fronts, but we also need it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For Republican lawmaker Joe Wilson, a strong supporter of Turkey, \u00a0the US should make \u201cevery effort to reinforce the relationship that has been so beneficial. There have always been ups and downs in our relationship, but I believe that ultimately, our mutual benefits should form the foundation of our partnership-leading to positive outcomes for both our countries in the name of freedom and democracy,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n