Turkey announces US proposal to send S-400 systems to Ukraine

The United States offered Turkey to send S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, Ankara refused Washington, Foreign Minister of the republic Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with Habertürk.

“There were several proposals for the S-400 from the United States. We were told: give us control. This is a proposal that affects our independence. Where is our independence then? — said he (quote from RIA Novosti).

Cavusoglu added that the United States offered to send the S-400 to Kyiv, but was refused.

On September 25, 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview with the American CBS television channel, confirmed Ankara’s intention to acquire a second regiment of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Moscow. In March of this year, it became known that the supply of the second batch of Russian S-400 air defense systems delayed. Ankara does not agree with the clause in the agreement banning the re-export of weapons to third countries, the Aydınlık newspaper wrote.

A framework contract for the supply of four divisions of the S-400 system to Turkey worth about $2.5 billion was concluded in 2017, and the first two systems were delivered in 2019. Since then, negotiations have continued between Turkey and Russia on the order and delivery of the remaining two systems. The decision of the Turkish side caused criticism and pressure from the United States.

After the live firing of Turkish S-400s in the fall of 2020, the United States at the end of 2020 imposed sanctions against the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate and its head Ismail Demir, and in the spring of 2021 they finally excluded Turkey from the F-35 program – the country had previously been a partner of the Americans in this program from the very beginning, ordering 100 aircraft, and the Turkish industry produced some of its elements.