The governments of the United Kingdom and Germany have taken key steps toward finalizing the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey. The deal, years in the making, moves forward despite repeated attempts by Cyprus and Greece to block arms exports to a country they accuse of continued military aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to German magazine Spiegel, Germany's powerful federal security council—whose green light is required for major arms exports—has approved the transfer of the jets, though the decision was taken behind closed doors. Meanwhile, Turkey and the UK have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) formally allowing Ankara to become a user of the Eurofighter Typhoon, a multi-role combat aircraft produced by a European consortium including Airbus (Germany), BAE Systems (UK), and Leonardo (Italy).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed that both Germany and Britain are taking a “positive stance” on the deal and expressed hopes to finalize it soon.

The move comes at a politically sensitive moment. UK-Cyprus relations were recently praised by the Cyprus government as being at their "highest level," following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to the island and successive bilateral meetings between him and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Yet, these ties appear insufficient to influence British or German decisions on arms sales to Turkey.

For Cyprus and Greece, both of whom have long pushed EU allies to curb military support to Ankara, the sale represents a diplomatic failure and raises fresh concerns over what lies ahead. One key worry is the soon-to-be-launched EU defense initiative known as the SAFE program, which includes open windows for funding cooperation with third countries—including, potentially, Turkey.