Fact-Check:Did France say it’ll provide Meteor missiles to Turkey?

Megha Bajaj February 24, 2025

Did France say it'll provide Meteor missile to Turkey?

Did France say it'll provide Meteor missiles to Turkey?

A pak-based handle took to X and claimed that France said it would provide the Meteor missile to Turkey, rejecting Greece’s and India’s requests.

An account named Tactical Tribune posted an image on X and wrote: “France says it’ll provide Meteor missile to Turkey, rejecting Greece and Indian request”

A digitally altered image falsely claims that France has agreed to supply Meteor missiles to Turkey, rejecting requests from Greece and India. The viral post, shared by "Tactical Tribune," features a fighter jet, missiles labeled "Meteor," and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the foreground, creating a misleading impression. The Meteor missile, developed by MBDA, is an advanced air-to-air missile used by multiple nations, but no verified reports confirm any such deal between France and Turkey. This claim appears to be fabricated, possibly to fuel geopolitical tensions. Always verify such news with credible defense sources before sharing. — Link

Fact-Check

To investigate the above-shared claim, the DFRAC team searched some keywords on Google related to the above-shared claim and found some latest reports from Yeni Safak, Daily Sabah & US Muslims in this regard.

This image debunks the viral claim that France agreed to provide Meteor missiles to Turkey, rejecting Greece and India’s requests. Several news sources, including Yeni Şafak, Turkish Minute, and USMuslims, report that France denies any involvement in a Turkish deal for Meteor missiles. The French defense minister clarifies that France has no control over British arms exports, which could be linked to the missile’s acquisition. This confirms that the earlier viral post was misleading and not based on factual evidence. Always verify defense-related news from credible sources before sharing

As per these reports, France is not playing a role in a possible sale of Meteor missile to Türkiye, according to the country’s defence minister.

The reports further stated the statement of Lecornu, the French Minister of Armed Forces.

“Do we have a role in this? The answer is no,” Sebastien Lecornu told the National Assembly on Tuesday, 18 Feb. He explained that the Meteor missiles are integrated into the Eurofighter jets that Türkiye is also working to acquire and that they are not selling this to Türkiye.

Moreover, the reports mentioned the further statement by the country’s defence minister:”We don’t have control over British arms exports,” Lecornu said. The Eurofighter consortium is made up of the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain”

Conclusion

It is clear from DFRAC’s fact-check that the above-shared claim citing France saying it’ll provide Meteor missiles to Turkey, rejecting Greece’s and India’s requests is completely misleading. Originally, the country’s defence minister dismissed this claim, confirming that negotiations are solely between Britain and Turkey.

Analysis: Misleading