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Talks for Türkiye to transfer its Russian-made S-400 missile system to the United Arab Emirates in exchange for American F-35 fighter jets have stalled, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Semafor.
The discussions, which began last month, were seen as a path toward clearing the way for Türkiye's purchase of the American F-35 fighter jets. However, the negotiations have reportedly failed to advance.
U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to sell the jets to Türkiye remain stalled more than a month after he announced them, leaving Congress to navigate the resulting tension between a NATO ally and Israel.
At issue is a requirement in U.S. sanctions law that Türkiye offload its Russian S-400 system to gain access to F-35s, six of which it has already paid for and that have remained in the United States since Türkiye's expulsion from the program in 2019.
Disabling the S-400 is one possible solution to facilitate the Trump-backed sale, though one that risks further stoking tension with lawmakers who view the statute as requiring full divestment of the system.
Another option is selling the Russian system to the UAE.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported July 18 that Türkiye was in talks to transfer the system to the UAE, but Semafor reported those conversations don't appear to have advanced, according to people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. removed Türkiye from the program to buy and help build the F-35 in 2019 after it bought the S-400 from Russia.
The U.S. worries that operating both advanced technologies side by side in Türkiye could allow the S-400 to learn key details of the F-35, including its radar signature, and share them with Moscow.
The discussions with the UAE came after Trump visited Türkiye in July for the NATO leaders' summit, at which he said he planned to lift restrictions on the country's purchase of U.S. jets.
"I don't think they should have F-35s unless they're going to be a true partner … so if they have the S-400, they cannot have the F-35," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Semafor.
He added that he hasn't "heard anything" from the Trump administration about moving forward, "and I talk to the administration quite a bit, so."
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who has held a longstanding hold on the purchase, told Semafor: "At this point, they have not removed the S-400s, so it's at a standstill."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she has her own reservations about the sale but rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's role in lobbying against it.
"I have my own hesitations about selling F-35s to Türkiye, but I am not interested in advice from Benjamin Netanyahu," Warren told Semafor, adding that his "lobbying here may be having the opposite effect."
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said he was uncertain where talks with the UAE stood.
"I've talked to the Emiratis about it, I talked to the Turks about it, but I'm not sure that I got some official position on it," Coons said, adding, "I will make a general observation: Any country that purchased the S-400 and deployed it would face the same concerns, challenges, and restrictions … that the Turks did."
It is not clear why talks with the UAE may have stalled, according to Semafor.
One potential reason: the UAE's possession of the S-400 would prevent it from purchasing its own F-35s in the future.
One U.S. official told Semafor that a sale to the UAE remains possible, noting that the country has "no problem buying s*** from the Russians."
The official added: "I don't think there's been any firm decision" on the S-400 purchase from Türkiye yet.
Trump previewed the F-35 sale at last month's NATO summit alongside President Erdogan, according to Semafor. A few hours after that, Netanyahu raised the stakes by warning that selling Türkiye the jets could "destroy the power balance in the Middle East."
The GOP-controlled Congress has largely given Trump what he wants during his second term, but the F-35 sale could have a hard time surviving a congressional disapproval vote that would pit Israel's interests against a NATO member, in part because many Trump allies are among those insisting on Türkiye's full divestment of the Russian system.
Even if a sale to the UAE or another country materializes, Moscow presents another potential obstacle. Russia must approve any transfer of the S-400s, giving it unique leverage over a move it has significant reason to reject, Semafor reported.
If Türkiye cannot sell its S-400 to the UAE or disable it, another option is destroying the system, according to Semafor.
"There's several options to solve this problem, and I think the Turks want to solve it," the U.S. official told Semafor.
Tim Chattell, an international security fellow at Chatham House, told Semafor: "Israel currently has a monopoly on F-35 use in the Middle East, but this will not last forever, as Saudi Arabia will begin taking deliveries by 2029."
Saudi Arabia is separately ramping up lobbying for its own F-35 purchase, one that has seen no public progress since November, when Trump announced his plans to pursue it, according to Semafor.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met with Trump administration officials last month as the kingdom hopes to build on momentum from its recent nuclear deal.
Douglas Silliman, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Kuwait and president of the Arab Gulf States Institute, described the Saudi sale as "a years-long process."
He added that "the Israelis may be concerned about lacking some sort of normalization" in relations with Riyadh as a condition for that sale.
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