DID Press: In a rare and significant move aimed at repairing ties with the West and breaking a years-long deadlock with the United States and NATO, Turkey has reportedly asked Russia to take back the S-400 air defense systems—a strategic pivot that could pave the way for Ankara’s return to the F-35 fighter jet program and the lifting of US defense sanctions.
Sources cited by Bloomberg say the Turkish government is pursuing a carefully calibrated diplomatic maneuver to return the S-400 systems to Moscow. The purchase of the Russian-made system in 2019 became one of the most contentious issues in Turkey’s foreign policy, severely straining relations with Washington and NATO.
According to the report, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally raised the sensitive request during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week in Turkmenistan. The development follows intensified pressure from Washington as well as Erdogan’s September meeting with Donald Trump, which diplomatic sources say helped reset expectations on both sides.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and a close ally of Trump, has suggested that the S-400 issue could be resolved within the next four to six months, although the Kremlin has formally denied that such a request was discussed during the Erdogan–Putin meeting.
On the financial front, Ankara is not only seeking to return the systems but also to recover the billions of dollars already paid. One proposal involves offsetting the cost against Turkey’s outstanding payments for Russian oil and gas imports. Turkish officials reportedly believe the financial cost of the S-400 deal is marginal compared with the diplomatic gains of closing the file and restoring relations with NATO and the United States.
Turkey turned toward Moscow after the failed 2016 coup attempt amid heightened tensions with the Obama administration—a shift that culminated in the S-400 purchase, Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program in 2019, and the imposition of CAATSA sanctions in 2020. The Erdogan government now hopes its mediating role in the Ukraine war will help persuade Putin to accept the proposal.
Ankara estimates that resolving the S-400 dispute could lead to the lifting of US defense sanctions next year and reopen the path for Turkey’s return to key Western military projects, particularly the F-35—potentially reorienting the country’s foreign policy balance back toward the West.