During a visit to Athens, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a stirring speech on October 7, 2026, at the Pnyx, opposite the Acropolis, just a few meters from where the Apostle Paul preached the Gospel to the ancient Athenians. The American secretary of State placed Greece at the heart of the West’s historical heritage and contemporary strategic cooperation.
Rubio drew on ancient Greece to underpin the Trump administration’s vision of national power, sovereignty, and Western renewal. He linked the Greek tradition to duty, excellence, and the willingness to defend one’s homeland. He presented Greece as a model ally and called on Europe to follow its example. Put simply, Rubio portrayed Athens as a partner that offers solutions in defense, energy, and border management.
Rubio drew on ancient Greece to underpin the Trump administration’s vision of national power, sovereignty, and Western renewal.
This sent an indirect message to Turkey: The United States recognizes Greece’s value in its own right, and not just as a balance to Ankara. It also shows that geography and military size are not enough to secure uniquely privileged treatment. Greece has established its credibility, and its participation in energy and defense partnerships creates options that limit Turkey’s ability to present itself as an indispensable intermediary.
The electricity interconnection cable between Greece and Cyprus is the practical test of this relationship. At a joint press conference, Rubio voiced support for the success of energy projects but avoided a public confrontation with Turkey, referring sensitive issues to private diplomatic discussions.
In his interview with Alexis Papachelas for Kathimerini, Rubio was more explicit. He described a Greek-Turkish conflict as inconceivable and outlined plans for diplomatic engagement regarding the cable. Washington recognizes that the project serves its own interests as well. Preventing a conflict, however, must mean preventing the coercion that causes it. Otherwise, preserving calm could end up rewarding the actor—Turkey—that threatens to disrupt it.
The way Turkish media covered the visit shows that Ankara received the message.
Hürriyet portrayed Rubio as Athens’s last hope against Ankara. Milliyet focused on the American secretary’s praise for Greece, while the pro-government Türkiye had already sought, on October 5, to portray the Greek strategy as a failure, highlighting Turkey’s defense industry and Ankara’s European partnerships. Haber abd Cumhuriyet shifted attention to the demonstrations, portraying the reception Rubio received as a major shock. The nationalist Aydınlık described the strengthening of the U.S.-Greece axis as a move against Turkey and linked the Vertical Corridor to a reduction in Turkey’s energy clout.
When Turkish aircraft violate Greek airspace while the American secretary of State is in Athens, Washington cannot remain indifferent to this response.
Even more revealing is the analysis by Gürsel Tokmakoğlu, former head of the Turkish Air Force’s intelligence department, in the Turkish edition of The Independent. He distinguished the speech from an anti-Turkish doctrine but assessed that the broader partnership limits Turkey’s bargaining advantages. Reactions in the Turkish press clearly show how much the visit and speech unsettled Ankara, particularly since Rubio’s tour did not include a stop in Turkey.
Yet, there is another side to the picture. On the day of Rubio’s speech at the Pnyx, two armed F-16s, one CN-235, and three unarmed Turkish drones committed four violations of Greek national airspace and three violations of air traffic regulations in the Athens Flight Information Region—after 15 airspace violations had occurred the previous day. The United States must take this behavior seriously. When Turkish aircraft violate Greek airspace while the American secretary of State is in Athens, Washington cannot remain indifferent to this response.
Rubio spoke about sovereignty and reliable alliances. Turkey’s provocative airspace violations against Greece on the day of the top American diplomat’s visit inspire anything but confidence in its reliability. They clearly reinforce the argument that Ankara has no intention of abandoning its revisionist policy and illegal claims in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, embodied in its “Blue Homeland” doctrine and the Turkey-Libya Memorandum of Understanding.
