Four factors driving Turkey's calculus to trade Russian S-400s for US F-35
As its ties improve with Washington, the United States has offered Turkey an opening to return to the F-35 consortium — but only if it gives up its Russian S-400 systems.
US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland encouraged Ankara to give up its Russian-made S-400 air defense system for its return to the fifth-generation F-35 stealth jet fighter program during her visit to Turkey this week. Her position generated public buzz, but the officialdom in Ankara remained mostly unmoved by the statement.
In response to Nuland, a high-level Turkish Defense Ministry official on Thursday said there was “no change” in either countries’ positions over the matter.
“At this stage, the statements made by the USA should be considered as a declaration of good faith,” he told Turkish media.
Turkey was expelled from an international consortium that manufactures the F-35s in 2020 under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchasing S-400s.
