Turkey sells Russia-made S-400 air defence systems to Gulf nation after US signals sale of F-35s: Report | World

Days after the United States (US) signalled selling the fifth generation F-35 aircraft to Türkiye, Ankara has sold the Russian-made S-400 surface to air missile defence system to a Gulf nation; although an official confirmation is awaited in this regard. 

According to a report by Türkiye’s pro-government newspaper Hurriyet, Ankara has finalised a deal with a third party, likely the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Qatar. The report said Türkiye has also resolved ‘certain issues’.

“According to the information I have, the S-400s have been sold to a third party. The deal will be announced today (Friday – TASS). The S-400 systems will be transferred to a Persian Gulf country,” Hurriyet’s columnist Abdulkadir Selvi said in the report.

Trump signals sale of F-35s to Türkiye  

Participating in a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Türkiye on July 7 and 8, President Donald Trump said Washington was ready to sell the F-35s to Ankara after he held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

“Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal… It’s a great plane (F-35), it’s the best, currently the best plane by far. And it’s certainly something we will consider (sale of the fighter to Turkey,” Trump told reporters upon his arrival in Ankara.

Sanctions on Türkiye 

In 2017, Türkiye bought four divisions of S-400 missile defence systems from Russia for a USD 2.5 billion deal. But the move irked the US after which Türkiye, also a member of the NATO, was sanctioned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). 

The sanctions bars the sale of F-35s to Türkiye, even as Trump has said the US would remove all the sanctions. US lawmakers have also said that Türkiye first would need to sell its S-400 air defence systems. 

India’s S-400 missile defence system

Talking about India, New Delhi operates around four squadron of the S-400s, which is considered as one of the best air defence systems of the world. India had signed a USD 5.43 billion contract with Russia in October 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400s.

India is yet to receive one squadron, though, as the delivery was delayed due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The S-400 had also proved its worth during ‘Operation Sindoor’ last year, when it helped the Indian Armed Forces successfully thwart Pakistan’s attempt to target Indian military and civilian infrastructure.  

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