Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a meeting in Ashgabat, offered his colleague Vladimir Putin to return the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) purchased from Russia 8 years ago. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing informed sources.
According to the source, abandoning the SAM system will help Ankara improve relations with Washington. Turkish authorities hope that after this step, the country will be able to gain access to American-made F-35 fighters.
In addition, Turkey wants to receive the funds spent on the C-400 from Russia. Ankara may request a deduction from Moscow for imported energy resources, sources say.
The United States is confident that it will be able to force Turkey to abandon Russian air defense systems. Diplomats expect this to happen in 2026.
The contract for the supply of Russian S-400 Triumph SAM systems was concluded in 2017. Later, the American administration excluded Turkey from the F-35 program, despite the payment for the first batch of aircraft.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Both for themselves and for others: the peculiarity of the Russian S-400 "Triumph" in comparison with export systems was named
- Turkey must renounce the S-400 Triumph SAM system if it wants American F-35s
- "The issue will be resolved": the American ambassador spoke about the fate of the Russian S-400 Triumph SAM systems in Turkey
