REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA \u2014 The Kremlin has confirmed that Russia is\ncommunicating with Turkey regarding the future of Moscow-made S-400 air\ndefence systems, amid reports that Ankara is considering transferring\nthe systems to a Gulf state. The move is being described as an effort by\nTurkey to pave the way for its return to the United States\u2019 F-35 stealth\nfighter programme.<\/p>\n
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed nor denied reports\nabout the possible transfer of Turkey\u2019s S-400 systems. However, he\nacknowledged that discussions on the matter were indeed under way\nbetween Moscow and Ankara.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can say one thing here: this is a very sensitive issue. However,\nwe have established contact with the Turkish side on this matter, and we\nwill continue to maintain contact with them on this issue,\u201d Peskov said,\nas reported by several defence media outlets.<\/p>\n
The statement came after Turkish media reported that Ankara was\nconsidering relocating its S-400 air defence systems to a country in the\nGulf region whose identity has not yet been announced.<\/p>\n
Senior Turkish journalist Abdulkadir Selvi, writing in the daily\nH\u00fcrriyet, said the S-400 system had been sold to a third country.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the information I have gathered, the S-400 system has\nbeen sold to a third country. The sale will be announced today. The\nS-400 system will be delivered to a country in the Gulf,\u201d Selvi\nwrote.<\/p>\n
The report has not been confirmed by the Turkish government. Several\nmedia outlets have named the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as candidate\nrecipients of the Russian-made air defence system.<\/p>\n
A Path Towards the F-35<\/p>\n
The S-400 issue resurfaced after signals emerged from US President\nDonald Trump, on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara earlier this\nweek, regarding the possibility of improved defence relations between\nWashington and Ankara.<\/p>\n
When asked whether Turkey could rejoin the F-35 fighter programme,\nTrump gave an answer that was considered more open than the stance of\nprevious US administrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t we do it? Turkey, in many ways, is far more loyal than\nother countries we thought would be loyal,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, ownership of the S-400 system remains the main\nobstacle.<\/p>\n
The United States expelled Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter\nprogramme in 2019 after Ankara proceeded with its purchase of the S-400\nair defence system from Russia. At the time, Turkey was one of the main\nindustrial partners in the F-35 programme and planned to purchase around\n100 of the stealth fighter jets.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/largest-ever-arms-barter-turkey-to-offload-s-400-missiles-to-a-gulf-nation-for-us-f-35s-1783929231", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }