Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly raised the possibility of returning the Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems to Moscow, in a bid to restore Ankara's standing with Washington and rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Erdogan allegedly made the request during a 90-minute meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an international forum in Turkmenistan last weekend. The Turkish Presidency and Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report, while the Kremlin denied that any such request had been made. According to the report, Turkey hopes its role as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv will encourage the Kremlin to agree to the move.
US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake said earlier this week that Washington is engaged in ongoing discussions with Ankara about its desire to rejoin the F-35 program. He said the positive relationship between US President Donald Trump and Erdogan had created a new atmosphere of cooperation, leading to "the most productive talks we've had on the issue in a decade."
Flake emphasized that Turkey would have to not only cease operating the S-400 system, but also relinquish possession of it in order to be readmitted to the F-35 project. "Our hope is that these discussions will yield a breakthrough in the coming months," he added. Last week, at a conference in Abu Dhabi, Flake expressed optimism that the hurdles preventing US approval of an F-35 sale to Turkey could be resolved "within four to six months."
Turkey signed a $2.5 billion deal with Russia for the S-400 systems in September 2017, with the first shipment arriving in July 2019. Just one week later, the US expelled Turkey from the F-35 program, citing concerns that Russia could use the S-400 systems on Turkish soil to gain sensitive information about the advanced American jet.
Bloomberg also reported that Ankara may seek financial compensation for the returned system, possibly by offsetting the cost against the price of natural gas and oil imported from Russia. The matter would be subject to further negotiation between the two governments, according to the sources.
Since returning to the White House, President Trump has shown warmth toward Erdogan. During the Turkish leader's visit to Washington in September, Trump expressed willingness to move forward with the sale of F-35 jets, but made clear that "he will have to do something for us" to make the deal happen.
