“Turkey may return the S-400 to Russia in order to lift sanctions and resume participation in the F-35 program.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, photo: “RIA Novosti” Source: “European truth” with reference to Bloomberg
Details: According to the agency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the S-400 issue during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan last week. That followed similar discussions held earlier between officials from the two countries, according to people familiar with the matter.
Advertising:
The President of Turkey and the Ministry of Defense declined to comment. The Kremlin denied that such a proposal was made during a meeting between the two leaders.
The question of Turkey’s possession of missiles and its desire to rejoin the F-35 program was raised during Erdogan’s meeting with Donald Trump at the White House in September.
A close ally of the US president, Tom Barrack, who is the ambassador to Turkey, said earlier this month that Ankara was close to giving up the S-400 and predicted that the issue could be resolved within the next four to six months.
Giving up Russian military equipment could significantly improve relations with the United States, paving the way for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Turkey’s defense industry and Ankara’s access to F-35 fighter jets, the sources said.
A senior Turkish diplomat recently said he expects the sanctions to be lifted next year.
Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 comes amid a rift with its NATO allies that began under Barack Obama and deepened after a failed coup attempt against Erdogan in 2016.
At the time, Turkey was also trying to buy American Patriot missiles, but claimed that Washington was not ready to make a deal. This frustration became part of Ankara’s justification for turning to Russia and acquiring the S-400.
The other day, the Ministry of Defense of Turkey stated that there were no new developments in the issue of the Russian S-400 air defense system.