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Turkey wants to offload its Russian-made S-400 air defense systems — and Moscow just reminded Ankara who has the final say.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in the early hours of Sunday that negotiations to re-export the S-400 systems — purchased from Russia in 2017 and the source of ongoing diplomatic headaches — are actively continuing with all parties.
“Negotiations regarding this matter are ongoing. When the negotiations are completed, we shall of course inform the public of the outcome. At this point in time we cannot say for sure when the talks will be concluded,” Fidan told Turkish media, reported Pravda.
But Russia moved quickly to set limits. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at a press conference following UN General Assembly High-Level Week, made clear that Moscow will not allow Turkey to simply re-sell to whoever it pleases.
“Within the framework of the contract signed with Turkey for the S-400 systems, supplied in full, we will consider issues related to their transfer based on the friendly character of the relations we maintain with the states to which they are to be transferred,” Lavrov said.
Translation: any buyer country that Moscow considers unfriendly won’t be getting the hardware. Russia has not been formally approached by Turkey on the matter, Lavrov added — but the Kremlin’s position is already crystal clear.
Turkey bought the S-400s to gain an independent air defense capability, triggering U.S. sanctions and its ejection from the F-35 program. Now Ankara wants to shed the systems to rebuild bridges with Washington. The irony is stark: to fix the damage caused by buying Russian weapons, Turkey now needs Russia’s permission to get rid of them.
That is classic Erdogan — maximize leverage by playing every side. But with Moscow drawing firm lines on who can receive the S-400s, and Washington watching every move, Turkey’s exit strategy may prove far more complicated than the original purchase ever was.
