Turkey Will Send The Russian S-400s To The Scrapyard

Ankara was unable to find buyers.

Turkey's negotiations with the UAE regarding the sale of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems to the UAE have reached an impasse, according to an American publication Semafor. As a result, U.S. senators, who are demanding that Turkey dispose of the systems, are withholding authorization for the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Ankara. If Turkey is unable to sell the S-400s to the Emirates or decommission them, as it has already proposed, there is one remaining option—to destroy the systems. ““There are several ways to resolve this issue, and I think the Turks want to resolve it,” a U.S. official told Semafor.

News of Ankara’s negotiations with Abu Dhabi emerged over a month ago; at that time, Turkey requested permission from Russia to sell the systems. But the discussions appear to have stalled, sources familiar with the negotiations told Semafor. The exact reason is unknown, but one factor is that the UAE—which also wants to purchase F-35s—does not want to be associated with Russian weapons. “Any country that acquires the S-400 and deploys the system will face the same concerns, problems, and restrictions that the Turks have faced,” said Democratic Senator Chris Coons.

As long as Turkey has the S-400, it will not be able to receive the F-35, Republican Senator Rick Scott told the publication. Adding that he communicates quite frequently with the Donald Trump administration, Scott noted that he had “heard nothing” from it regarding next steps.

Trump, who flew to Ankara in early July for the NATO summit, made it clear that he would allow Turkey to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and promised to lift the sanctions imposed on Turkey in connection with its purchase of Russian S-400s. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Al Jazeera last weekend: “We expect Trump to fulfill his promise regarding the F-35 fighter jets.”

But Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Semafor: “At this point, they haven’t gotten rid of the S-400s, so the matter has reached an impasse.” Turkey had previously offered to decommission the systems, but this move does not satisfy all senators, who insist on the need to completely dispose of them.

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