Relinquishing Russian rockets would enable Turkey to better its connections with America and fellow NATO countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin / © Associated Press
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reportedly suggested during a meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Turkmenistan, the return of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile complexes acquired from Russia a decade prior.
This information is according to Bloomberg, which cited its own sources.
The publication highlights that abandoning Russian rockets will afford Turkey the opportunity to improve its relationships with the United States and other members of NATO. Moreover, Ankara will be afforded the prospect of obtaining American F-35 fighter jets with stealth capabilities, something it has long pursued.
Earlier in the month, the US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, stated that Turkey was on the verge of abandoning the S-400, predicting the issue could see resolution within four to six months.
Anonymous sources informed Bloomberg that Turkey anticipates its role as an intermediary linking Russia and Ukraine will incentivize Moscow to view this proposition favorably.
Washington expelled Ankara from the F-35 program back in 2019 following its procurement of the S-400 systems. NATO cautions that Russia might gather vital intelligence should Turkey utilize the S-400 in conjunction with Western aircraft. Currently, Ankara does not operate the aforementioned system.
The presidential administration of Turkey and the Turkish Ministry of Defense have both refrained from issuing commentary on this subject.
The Kremlin refuted assertions that such a suggestion was put forth during the dialogue between the two leaders.
As a reminder, it was previously indicated that at an international assembly in Turkmenistan, President Erdogan proposed that Vladimir Putin take an initiative towards peace by agreeing to a ceasefire along with a cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure and harbor facilities.
However, subsequently, Russia initiated a rocket strike targeting the port of Chornomorsk in the Odessa region, impacting a civilian vessel belonging to a Turkish enterprise.
Source: tsn.ua