Turkey is seeking permission from Russia to sell its S-400 air defense systems to a third country, Turkey Today reports.
The decision reportedly comes after news that the US has given the green light to Turkey's F-35 fighter jet program.
The defense line between Washington and Ankara is currently reportedly divided into two separate but interrelated issues: the lifting of CAATSA sanctions and the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets, along with Turkey's return to the program. While lifting the CAATSA sanctions would not automatically resolve the F-35 dispute, it would remove one of the biggest political and legal barriers between the two countries.
The report emphasizes that US President Donald Trump's message to President Erdogan, stating that Washington would lift the sanctions and consider the F-35 issue, signals a major shift.
According to information obtained by Hurriyet, the US administration considers any approach that involves continued Turkish possession - even under US supervision or with the triggers removed on Turkish soil - insufficient to satisfy the existing legal framework. Washington’s main criterion remains completely unchanged: the S-400 systems must be completely removed from Turkey’s military inventory.
According to the report, the ongoing trilateral discussions between Ankara, Washington and Moscow are focused on both the war between Russia and Ukraine and the dispute over the S-400s.
Washington sees the sale of the systems to a Gulf state as the most viable option.
However, any transfer requires formal Russian involvement under the original agreement with the end user of the purchase. This means that Moscow must approve any sale to a third party.
The report notes that Ankara has already studied Moscow’s position on the issue and the Russian side reportedly has no objections.