According to reports by the Russian TASS and other media on the 10th, Turkey has recently been reported as attempting to sell its Russian-made S-400 air defense system to a Gulf country, which has drawn attention from Russia. Russian President's press secretary and Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on the 10th that Russia is in communication with Turkey regarding this issue.
Earlier, the Turkish newspaper “Hurriyet” claimed that in order to persuade the United States to lift sanctions, Turkey had sold its S-400 air defense systems purchased from Russia to a Gulf country. The transaction is expected to be officially announced soon. Sources revealed that the potential buyers could be the UAE or Qatar. However, AFP noted that since Turkey does not have the export license granted by Russia, this transaction requires the consent of Moscow first.
When asked about this matter, Peskov said, “I can say one thing: this is an extremely sensitive issue. However, we have already communicated with the Turkish side regarding this matter, and we will continue to stay in touch with them on this issue.”
In 2017, Turkey reached an agreement with Russia to purchase Russian S-400 air defense missile systems. The United States had always demanded that Turkey abandon Russian air defense systems in favor of American “Patriot” systems. When this demand was rejected, the United States excluded Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program and imposed sanctions on Turkish defense officials. Relations between the two countries then cooled down. Turkey has consistently argued that the decision was “unjust and illegal,” and has repeatedly sought to rejoin the program.
During the NATO summit in July this year, U.S. President Trump stated during his meeting with Turkish President Erdogan that the United States would lift sanctions against Turkey and would make a final decision on the potential plan to resume the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey. This announcement marks a possible significant turning point in the defense relationship between the United States and Turkey, which has been stalled due to Turkey’s procurement of Russian-made weapons.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly warned of the dangers of the U.S. move during an interview with CNN. He said that selling Turkey the most advanced American fighter jets does not mean that Turkey has become an ally of the United States. Netanyahu revealed that he had repeatedly urged Trump not to do this, stating that the deployment of F-35 jets to Turkey would “deviate the power balance in the Middle East.”
