U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has approved the sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets to Greece.
Greece had sent a Letter of Request for 20 F-35A fighters to Washington DC via the U.S. embassy in Athens in June 2022. This is the first step in a multi-stage process to acquire the stealth fighters.
“I am pleased that two days ago I signed off for the F35-s to the Hellenic Republic and I did so not because I am simply a fan of the Greek people; I did so because this is a country that shares our values, that is aligned with us to things that are important in the world; democracy, human rights, rule of law, a country that is not belligerent to its neighbors,” Menendez was quoted as saying.
The approval must be approved by Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the committee, as well as by Rep Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the same committee.
After obtaining consensus, the Biden administration will formally notify Congress of the sale of F-35s to Greece.
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