Ankara is only ready to agree to joint oversight of the air defense systems with Washington, sources have claimed
Türkiye continues to resist US demands to abandon its Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, but is eager to make some concessions to the Americans on the issue, Bloomberg has reported.
The acquisition of S-400s by Ankara from Moscow in 2019 soured its relations with Washington, resulting in sanctions being imposed against Türkiye the next year and the NATO member’s exclusion from the US F-35 fighter jet program. The Turkish government has defended the purchase, insisting on their sovereign right to choose their arms suppliers.
Türkiye remains interested in buying 40 F-35s from the US, which would be impossible as long as the sanctions remain in place, the news agency said in an article on Friday.
Ankara is “willing to compromise” in order to make sure that Washington lifts its restrictions, sources told Bloomberg. The Turkish authorities could agree to a technical mechanism for supervising the S-400s together with the US, they said.
US President Donald Trump signaled he was open to Turkey purchasing F-35 fighter jets during a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late September. “He needs certain things, and we need certain things,” Trump said, adding that Erdogan would be “successful” in obtaining what he “would like to buy.”
However, no deal on the fighter jets has been announced since then.
“I do not think it is very becoming of a strategic partnership,” Erdogan said about Washington’s ban on F-35s purchase in an interview with Fox News during his US visit.
The Hindustan Times reported last month, citing high-ranking defense sources, that India, which bought five S-400s for $5.43 billion in 2018, is looking to acquire another five systems from Russia.
READ MORE: Trump claims Modi ‘wants him’ in India
The country’s air force chief, Amar Preet Singh, said that the S-400s, which were deployed by New Delhi during a flare up with Islamabad in May, have proven to be a “game changer,” effectively preventing Pakistani jets from getting within striking distance of Indian targets.
