Russia Says Possible S-400 Return Will Not Damage Relations With Turkey

Russia does not consider speculation about a possible return of Turkey's S-400 air defense systems to be a factor capable of damaging relations between the two countries, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

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Su-30MKI and S-400

Responding to questions from journalists, Peskov was asked whether such discussions could be seen as a blow to Moscow-Ankara ties and whether the issue had been raised during the recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ashgabat.

"No, we do not believe so. And this topic was not on the agenda,” Peskov said.

Reports of a Possible Policy Shift

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Turkey is considering returning the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems it purchased in 2017. According to sources cited by the outlet, Erdogan raised the issue during talks with Putin in Turkmenistan last week.

The report suggested that abandoning the S-400 systems could help Ankara repair strained relations with the United States, potentially leading to the removal of American sanctions on Turkey's defense industry and reopening access to F-35 fighter jets.

The S-400 Deal and US Sanctions

In 2017, Turkey purchased four divisions of the S-400 air defense system from Russia for approximately $2.5 billion. At the time, Washington demanded that Ankara abandon the deal in favor of American Patriot systems, a proposal Turkey rejected.

In response, the United States removed Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program. Despite the purchase, the Russian systems have remained in storage and have not been operationally deployed, according to Turkish media reports.

Renewed F-35 Negotiations

Last summer, the newspaper Cumhuriyet reported that Ankara was seeking to acquire US-made fighter jets and had pledged not to activate the S-400 systems in exchange for renewed access to the F-35 program.

In early December, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack claimed that Ankara was preparing to abandon the Russian systems as part of a broader deal involving F-35 aircraft. He said the issue could be resolved within four to six months.

Later, Barrack added that negotiations between Washington and Ankara on Turkey's return to the F-35 program were already underway, describing them as the most productive in more than a decade.

Moscow's Position and Turkey's Air Defense Needs

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously noted that Turkey cannot resell or transfer the S-400 systems without Moscow's consent, under the terms of the original agreement.

For his part, Erdogan has acknowledged that the S-400 systems alone cannot fully meet Turkey's air defense needs. He has emphasized the importance of building a layered air defense network capable of intercepting threats at different altitudes.

Despite ongoing speculation, the Kremlin insists that the issue has not affected dialogue between Moscow and Ankara and does not currently form part of their official bilateral agenda.