Russia is in contact with Türkiye about the fate of the Russian S-400 air defense system that Ankara owns, the Kremlin said on Friday.
The statement came after a news outlet claimed that Türkiye was poised to transfer the air defense missiles to an unnamed Gulf country.
Daily Hürriyet reported earlier on Friday that Türkiye could announce it would resell the S-400s to one of the Gulf nations in a bid to get access to U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
In 2019, the U.S. removed Türkiye from the F-35 program, where Ankara was also a production partner, following its purchase of the S-400 systems. It later also imposed sanctions on its NATO ally.
Washington claimed the system would endanger the jets and is incompatible with NATO systems, while Ankara repeatedly said there is no conflict between the two and proposed a commission to study the issue.
Türkiye also said it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension broke the rules. Ankara maintains that the jets would strengthen not only Türkiye but also NATO.
Speaking alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before this week’s NATO summit, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would lift sanctions on Türkiye and signaled a willingness to sell the F-35 jets.
The move would be the biggest gesture yet from Trump to Erdoğan, whom he regularly praises and sees as a close ally. The two countries have enjoyed warmer ties since Trump returned to office last year.
Erdoğan said he was confident Trump would resolve the issue and end the dispute.
Asked on Friday about the media report and if Türkiye had sought Russia’s permission to go ahead with the alleged deal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said:
“I can say one thing here: this is an extremely sensitive issue. However, we have been in contact with the Turkish side on this matter, and we will continue to maintain contact with them on this issue.”
