A German government spokesman told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency on Thursday that no decision has yet been made on whether to approve the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, following reports that Berlin had blocked the deal due to political tensions.
Tim-Niklas Wentzel, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, told Anadolu that the current caretaker government would leave the decision to the incoming coalition taking office next month.
“Regarding major arms export control issues, the current caretaker government will not make any decisions that would pre-empt those of the incoming government,” Wentzel said. He declined to comment on internal government discussions.
The statement came after Germany’s Handelsblatt business daily reported that Berlin had blocked the delivery of 30 Eurofighter jets to Turkey in response to the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a leading opposition figure and potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The German government has not confirmed the report.
İmamoğlu was arrested in March on corruption charges that critics say are politically motivated. His detention sparked nationwide protests and drew condemnation from Germany, which called the arrest an “attack on Turkish democracy.”
Turkey, NATO’s second-largest military power, is seeking to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons — 20 Tranche 1 jets from the United Kingdom and 20 more advanced Tranche 4 jets — to modernize its air force. The jets are jointly produced by Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain, and any export requires unanimous approval from all four countries.
Germany’s approval is critical due to its role in the production of the jets, but divisions within Berlin’s political establishment have stalled progress. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which won the most seats in February elections, supports the sale, while its coalition partner, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), has expressed reservations.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is expected to become Germany’s next chancellor in early May. Reports in the German media suggest Merz may seek to use the Eurofighter deal as leverage in negotiations with Ankara, potentially linking progress on the sale to İmamoğlu’s release.
Ankara is also in talks with the UK over the purchase of the Tranche 1 jets. British authorities have approved the sale, and Turkey’s Defense Ministry is reviewing the offer.
Turkey was removed from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2019 after it purchased Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. The country has since focused on developing its own fifth-generation fighter, the Kaan, which completed its maiden flight in 2024.
Germany has also promoted the European Sky Shield Initiative, a joint missile defense project that includes both Turkey and Greece, as a way to enhance regional defense cooperation. Under the plan, Ankara could receive US-made Patriot systems to replace the S-400s.
Despite recent tensions, Turkey remains one of Germany’s top arms customers. Preliminary 2024 figures show German defense exports to Turkey totaling €231 million, including torpedoes, guided missiles and submarine parts. Between 2020 and 2024, Germany ranked as Turkey’s third-largest arms supplier after Spain and Italy.