UK's Starmer to discuss Eurofighter jets sale with Erdogan in Turkey

AL-Monitor
Oct 27, 2025
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to their meeting on the sideline of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague, on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS — Kin Cheung

ANKARA (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to discuss the pending sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey on Monday when he meets President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

The visit, Starmer's first to Turkey since taking office last year, comes as the NATO allies deepen defence cooperation, and as Ankara seeks to leverage the advanced jets to bolster its air power and make up ground on regional rivals including Israel.

Last week Reuters reported, citing a source, that Ankara had proposed to its European allies and the U.S. ways it could swiftly procure advanced fighter jets, amid talks to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons as well as U.S. F-16s and F-35s.

A person familiar with the matter said that under a deal it is nearing with Britain on the Typhoons, Turkey would promptly receive 12 of them, albeit used, from previous buyers Qatar and Oman to meet its immediate needs, with 28 new jets coming in future years.

In July, Ankara and London signed a preliminary purchase deal approved by Eurofighter consortium members Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

Last week, Erdogan visited Qatar and Oman in part to discuss the purchase plan.

Erdogan's office said he and Starmer would also hold talks on bilateral ties and regional and global issues.

 

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Gareth Jones)