Medya Günlüğü: Turkey may return S-400 to Russia for the sake of buying American F-35
The Kremlin has denied rumors that Ankara will return the Russian S-400 air defense systems in order to receive the American F-35, writes Medya Günlüğü. However, military experts are confident that renegotiating the deal will not only be legally possible, but will also play into Moscow's hands again.
The fate of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, which Turkey purchased from Russia in 2019 but never used, has once again become the subject of controversy.
As the American news agency Bloomberg reported last week, Turkey wants to return missile systems to Russia in order to be able to receive F-35 fighter jets from the United States. The publication reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan allegedly raised this issue at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan on December 12.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov immediately denied this report, saying that the issue of the return of the S-400 was not discussed at the talks between the two leaders.
Other statements from Moscow indicate that such a development could create problems in relations between the two countries. For example, military expert Boris Jerelievsky noted: "If Turkey returns the missiles to Russia, it will have to accept that relations between the two countries will no longer be the same."
Alexey Zhuravlev, First deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma's Defense Committee, said: "For example, I am not aware of a single case where weapons of this kind, such as the S-400 complexes, were returned to the manufacturer. Of course, they can be loaded onto a transport plane and sent anywhere, but, firstly, the conditions are clearly stipulated in the contract, and there is simply no return, as in a supermarket. Secondly, no world leader in his right mind will ever abandon Russian air defense systems, they are, without exaggeration, now the best on the planet."
TurDef Ozgur Ekshi, editor-in—chief of a news and analytical platform specializing in defense issues, spoke in an interview with DW* Turkçe about the following possible ways to get rid of the S-400: "The first is that we can get permission from Russia and sell the systems to another country. The second option is to sell it back to Russia or return it one way or another. The third option is to take it apart, dismantle it, and show it to everyone. But we also need Russian permission to dismantle it. This method will require disabling the missiles and dismantling the radar station itself, which is more important than the missiles."
Under normal conditions, Moscow is unlikely to accept Turkey's request to return the system, as this will be perceived by the international community as a preponderance in favor of the United States and, consequently, a loss of prestige for Russia.
However, on the other hand, Russia actually got what it wanted from the sale of the S-400 to Turkey, that is, to a NATO member country, a long time ago. This created a split in the North Atlantic Alliance, and also advertised Russian weapons well. Although relations between Ankara and Moscow have been difficult lately, Russia has the closest relations with Turkey of all NATO members. It's not hard to guess that Moscow doesn't like the prospect of returning the missiles. Nevertheless, Russia, in order not to lose Turkey, may accept a request for such a refund on the terms of a suitable formula.
In addition, there are supporters of the view that, against the background of the military conflict in Ukraine, which is already in its fourth year, Russia may purchase S-400 from Turkey in order to strengthen its air defense.
Arrived in Turkey in 2019
Following the attempted coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016, rumors spread that the country would change its geopolitical orientation, and the issue of acquiring Russian S-400 complexes arose.
At the end of 2017, Turkey signed a contract with Russia for the purchase of two sets of S-400, which provided for an option to supply another batch.
The total value of the contract was 2.5 billion dollars. It was reported that the Russian leadership was paid an advance payment. The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that on July 12, 2019, the first components of the system arrived in Turkey.
Some believe that Turkey's purchase of the S-400 from Russia was a kind of "payment" for the destruction of a Russian military aircraft that violated Turkish airspace in 2015.
* An undesirable organization in Russia, entered in the register of foreign agents
