- Cyprus has been realigning its interests away from Russia toward the US.
- It has been replacing its Russian arms, and it can now acquire US weapons more easily.
- It’s replaced helicopters and air defenses. A security studies expert said armor could be next.
A former Russian partner and so-called “unsinkable aircraft carrier” strategically located in the Mediterranean has drawn much closer to the US in recent years and can now more easily get its hands on American weapons.
Under a directive signed at the end of the last US administration, Cyprus is now included in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programs. Additionally, the Cypriot National Guard, the country’s military force, will now be able to participate in more training initiatives with US troops.
Cyprus’ inclusion in these two programs is significant — especially as the country is continuing its Western reorientation and slowly phasing out its Russian arms.
Come and buy
The Foreign Military Sales program enables the Department of Defense to purchase weapons directly from US arms manufacturers on behalf of partner countries, simplifying the process for the buyer. And the Excess Defense Articles program allows partner countries to acquire excess US defense equipment for free or at significantly discounted prices to modernize their forces.
A 1987 US arms embargo previously led the Cypriot government to turn to Russia for many of its weapons while pursuing a close relationship with Moscow.
However, in recent years, especially after the Russians invaded Ukraine in 2022, Cyprus has been distancing itself from Moscow and has been steadily replacing its Russian weapons.
The US partially lifted the arms embargo in 2020 and two years later fully lifted it subject to a yearly evaluation.
In 2023, Cyprus replaced its Russian Mil Mi-35P attack helicopters with French Airbus ones, and last December, it bought Israeli Barak 8 surface-to-air missile systems to replace its Russian TOR M-1 and Buk SAMs. Beyond vehicles and air defenses, vehicles could be next.
“As the policy of divesting itself from Russian equipment is proceeding, two major purchases represent next logical projects: main battle tanks and armored fighting vehicles,” Andrew Novo, a strategic studies professor at the National Defense University, told Business Insider.
REUTERS/Stringer
The Cypriot National Guard uses Russian T-80 main battle tanks and BMP-3 armored fighting vehicles, so “American M1 tanks and Bradley M2 (or other) armored vehicles would be logical candidates to replace existing stocks,” Novo said. Patrol boats up to Corvette-size units, assault rifles, and communications equipment could also be a priority, he added.
Both M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley armored fighting vehicles are highly regarded, and the Bradleys have famously proven their worth in the battlefields of Ukraine, even squaring off against tanks.
Some of Cyprus’s current weapons could end up there, too.
Although it had initially rejected the idea of sending its old Russian weapons to Ukraine, citing concerns for its own security — since a Turkish invasion in 1974, the island’s northern third has been occupied by Turkish forces and de-facto seceded — acquiring US systems could allow it to do so.
“Such a possibility could be considered provided that this equipment is replaced with equivalent or better equipment,” then-Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades had said in 2022.
Looking ahead
It’s unclear what direction the new Trump administration may take things, but Cyprus’s inclusion in these programs could pave the way for a full lifting of the weapons embargo, removing the yearly evaluation, as well as solidify relations with the US.
Changing the evaluations could mean big changes. “In general, adopting a new weapons system is a multiyear process — sometimes more than a decade,” Novo said. “The Cypriot government cannot order an American weapons system and risk maintenance or procurement based on a year-by-year waiver.”
The two countries are strengthening their military collaboration in other ways, too. In September, they signed a defense cooperation framework agreement to better respond to humanitarian crises and security concerns and enhance interoperability between US and Cypriot forces.
Cypriot special operations units have been frequently training with their US counterparts, and in 2023, a US nuclear-powered submarine docked in the Cypriot port of Limassol for the first time.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Bill Carlisle
US Marines and aircraft deployed to Cyprus last year in preparation for a potential evacuation of US citizens from Lebanon, and now, the US Air Force is considering upgrading Cyprus’s main air base to use it for humanitarian operations in the region.
The island sits at a strategic location in the eastern Mediterranean, only about 100 miles from the Levant, and provides access to North Africa and Asia Minor. It has often been described as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier.”
The Cypriot president has expressed his commitment to expand his country’s defense and security cooperation with the US.
“It is to the best interest of both the US and Cyprus to maintain and develop this relationship, and the US is proving that by investing in defense and security infrastructure in Cyprus,” Novo said.
