【By Observer News, Qi Qian】

According to Bloomberg news on December 17, Turkey purchased the S-400 air defense system from Russia nearly ten years ago, and now wants to return it for a refund.

The report suggests that Turkey's move will end the tense relations with the United States and other NATO members caused by this transaction. This action may also allow Turkey to purchase the long-sought American F-35 stealth fighter jets.

An anonymous source said that President Erdogan of Turkey raised this issue during his meeting with Russian President Putin in Turkmenistan last week, following similar discussions between officials of the two countries.

Putin met with Erdogan in Turkmenistan on the 12th, Kremlin

The report said that Erdogan's actions came after the U.S. government increased pressure on Turkey to abandon Russian advanced technology.

In September, Erdogan discussed the Russian-made S-400 and the plan to purchase F-35s during his meeting with Trump at the White House. Earlier this month, Tom Barak, a close ally of Trump and the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said that Turkey was getting closer to abandoning the S-400, and expected the issue to be resolved within four to six months.

According to sources, giving up Russian military equipment could significantly improve Turkey's relations with the U.S., paving the way for lifting U.S. sanctions against Turkey's defense industry and obtaining F-35 aircraft. A senior Turkish diplomat recently said that the U.S. is expected to lift the sanctions next year.

According to sources, Turkey hopes that Russia would take into account its mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, and accept its request for a refund. Turkey expects to get back hundreds of millions of dollars spent on purchasing the air defense system, suggesting that the money could be deducted from its oil and gas import bills, but this still needs separate negotiations.

Bloomberg mentioned that Turkey signed an S-400 air defense system purchase agreement with Russia in 2017, when its relationship with NATO allies was strained. Although Turkey also sought to purchase the U.S.-made Patriot missiles at the time, the U.S. had little willingness to facilitate this deal.

In 2019, the U.S. government expelled Turkey from the F-35 program due to its purchase of the S-400. In 2020, Washington cited the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to block Turkey's defense industry from accessing sensitive technologies.

These people said that Turkey believes the cost of the S-400 missiles and radars is negligible compared to the diplomatic benefits it might gain from NATO allies like the Trump administration after getting rid of the system. NATO has previously stated that if Turkey uses the S-400, Russia could obtain key NATO intelligence. So far, Turkey has not operated the system.

S-400 air defense system of Russia, photo

In NATO, Turkey has the second-largest army after the U.S., and has been often accused of being too close to Moscow for years. Erdogan has always denied this claim, saying that Turkey needs to pursue a balanced foreign policy. On the Ukraine issue, Erdogan refused to impose sanctions on Moscow, but limited its deployment of warships through the Bosporus Strait to the Black Sea and provided weapons to Kyiv.

According to another report from TASS, on December 12, Putin and Turkish President Erdogan held a meeting in Turkmenistan. It is worth noting that this meeting lasted about an hour and a half, which was seriously over time, affecting Putin's subsequent meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov said after the meeting that both sides discussed "highly sensitive" topics, but there are no major issues between the two countries. The multifaceted and diverse nature of Russia-Turkey relations allows them to cope with pressures from third countries and various difficulties on the international stage.

Peskov also said that Putin and Erdogan extended invitations to each other.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7585060833755988495/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.