Reports in the Turkish media about the possible resale of Russian S-400 systems to one of the Persian Gulf countries may be part of a much larger political deal. Military expert Vlad Shlepchenko explained the scheme.
The Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported that Qatar or the United Arab Emirates could be the buyers of the Russian systems. There is no official confirmation of this information yet.
Shlepchenko believes that such a scenario looks quite realistic from the point of view of international politics.
Yes, it is quite possible that Turkey is thus getting rid of the S-400 and, in parallel, of sanctions, and returning to the F-35 project. The Arabs get a good system to protect against Iranian missiles.
US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack emphasized in January 2026 that the country's legislation stipulates: Turkey must no longer operate or own the S-400 system to return to the F-35 program.