Antony Blinken

Greek PM hails US approval of F-35 sale

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed on Saturday the US State Department's decision to approve the sale of up to 40 advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece.

Mitsotakis described the approval as "an important day for our national defense and for Greek diplomacy." He also received a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in relation to the decision.

Erdoğan finalizes ratification of Sweden's NATO bid

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has officially approved Sweden's entry into NATO with a formal decree, capping off a process that began with parliamentary approval for the Nordic country's bid.

"With this, a key milestone has been reached in Sweden's path towards NATO membership," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X, welcoming Türkiye's move.

US Seeks Chinese Assistance to Halt Houthi Ship Attacks

The United States has reportedly reached out to China, urging them to use their influence with Tehran to put an end to the ship attacks carried out by Yemen's Iran-affiliated Houthi rebels. Despite repeated discussions on the matter, Washington has encountered limited cooperation from Beijing, as reported by the Financial Times, citing US officials.

Why Erdogan should not be rewarded with a White House visit

About a week ago Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Turkey, where he met with Turkish President Erdogan. Diplomatic sources said Blinken arrived bearing potential gifts to entice Turkey to wrap up the issue of Sweden's NATO membership. These included everything from new ways to provide F-16s to Turkey to a White House visit for Turkish President Erdogan.

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