Newsletters
Türkiye's Russian-made S-400 air defense systems are being sold to a third country, with the sale expected to be announced Friday, according to a report by Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi.
Selvi wrote that instead of asking what will happen to the S-400s, the more relevant question may be what already happened to them, noting that President Erdogan responded to a question about the systems by saying "stay tuned."
According to the report, the S-400 issue returned to the agenda after Trump's announcement that CAATSA sanctions would be lifted, since the sanctions were originally imposed as a direct result of Türkiye's S-400 purchase.
Selvi wrote that while it is known that Turkish personnel trained in Russia to operate the systems and that the S-400s could be activated quickly if needed, there is no clear information about their current status, whether they have been activated, remain in storage, or have been sent to another country, a situation he described as a complete mystery.
It was reported that lifting CAATSA sanctions would require U.S. President Donald Trump to send a formal notification letter to Congress addressing three points: that the S-400s are non-operational, that Türkiye no longer possesses them, and that Ankara commits not to develop similar relationships with Russia in the future.
The report said that if members of Congress remain unconvinced that these legal conditions have been met, the matter could proceed to a vote.
Selvi wrote that, according to information he had obtained, the S-400s have been sold to a third country, with the sale set to be announced on Friday, and the buyer identified as a Gulf country.
He said last-minute details were still being worked out as of the previous day, with word that remaining issues had been resolved by midnight.
According to the report, some sources point to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the buyer, while others point to Qatar, and Selvi said it would be best to wait for an official announcement.
He wrote that both the UAE and Qatar experienced major shocks in the region's recent conflicts, the UAE due to Iranian attacks that he said paralyzed its tourism-based economy, and Qatar due to an Israeli strike that struck before the outbreak of the broader U.S.-Iran-Israel war.
According to the report, the Israeli strike revealed that Qatar's American-supplied Patriot missile defense systems did not activate during the attack because they were coded to treat Israel as a friendly country, leaving Doha exposed.
He wrote that Gulf countries experienced similar shocks in different ways during the Iran war and have since sought alternative defense systems.
Selvi wrote that by divesting the S-400s, Türkiye would not only escape CAATSA sanctions but would also profit financially from the sale.
The Turkish journalist wrote that the phrase heard most throughout the NATO summit was "NATO 3.0," but said he was not certain the concept had been achieved for NATO as a whole.
From Ankara's perspective, he wrote, Türkiye achieved its own "3-0," referring to three developments: the lifting of CAATSA sanctions, the delivery of KAAN engines, and the opening of a path toward F-35 sales.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
