Turkey sells Russian-made S-400 systems to Persian Gulf states: Report
Turkey has reportedly resold Russian-made S-400 air defense systems to Persian Gulf states to prepare grounds for buying F-35 fighter jets from the US.
A pro-Ankara Turkish newspaper reported on Friday that the old S-400 missile systems that Turkey had purchased years earlier from Russia were sold off to Persian Gulf Arab states.
Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi wrote. "The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have been mentioned in this regard, but it is better to wait for an official announcement."
Ankara aimed to offload the Russian-made S-400 air defense system in exchange for Washington granting access to US-made F-35 fighter jets that Ankara had already paid for but was denied over the purchase of the Russian S-400s.
In 2017, Turkey purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system at a time when relations between Ankara and Washington were severely strained over a conflict in Syria.
When asked about the report of the S-400s sales, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing on Friday that Moscow was pursuing the matter and described the issue as "extremely sensitive."
“We have had contacts with the Turkish side on this matter, and we will continue our contacts with the Turkish side on this issue.”
In order to resell the S-400s, Turkey requires Moscow’s consent, as it does not have a re-export license.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the NATO summit hosted by Ankara this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his visiting American counterpart Donald Trump.
Trump told Erdogan during their meeting that he would consider Erdogan's request for the delivery of the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey as promised if the Russian-made S-400s were sold off.
In the meantime, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claims Ankara has aggressive "aspirations" in Syria, conflicting with Tel Aviv's expansionist policy in the Arab state, is opposed to Washington's F-35 sales to Ankara.
Netanyahu says the delivery of the advanced F-35 warplanes to Turkey would abolish Tel Aviv's present air advantage over the neighboring countries.
Reportedly, the Zionist Israeli forces maintain dozens of F-35 aircraft.
In 2017, Turkey purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system at a time when relations between Ankara and Washington were severely strained over a conflict in Syria.
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