The Kremlin on Thursday shot down media reports that Türkiye was seeking to return S-400 missile systems it purchased from Russia.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed returning Russian S-400 air defense systems with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a meeting in Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat last week.
“That topic was not on the agenda,” Peskov said at a news briefing in Moscow, referring to Putin and Erdogan’s meeting on the sidelines of the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat.
In 2017, Türkiye purchased four S-400 air defense systems from Russia for $2.5 billion. Washington subsequently demanded that Ankara abandon the Russian systems in favor of American Patriot missiles. When Türkiye refused, the U.S. removed it from the F-35 fighter jet program.
Bloomberg on Wednesday claimed that Ankara wanted to return the systems to enhance its relations with the U.S., which opposed the 2017 deal. The report says returning the systems to Russia may pave the way for Türkiye to be included again in the F-35 fighter jet program.
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