Erdogan wants to return the S-400 systems he bought from Putin
Washington is demanding that Ankara abandon Russian military equipment, Bloomberg reports.
In exchange for the Russian air defence systems, Turkey is being offered a major “carrot” — the lifting of sanctions on its defence industry and the restoration of access to U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
The S-400 systems were delivered to Turkey in 2019 but have been sitting idle in storage due to U.S. pressure and Ankara’s removal from the F-35 program. According to sources, Erdogan already raised the issue of returning the S-400s during a meeting with Putin on December 13.