Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Russian-made S-400 air defense systems remain in the country’s arsenal and that Ankara’s position on the issue has not changed, following media reports suggesting Moscow had asked for the systems’ return.
Defense ministry sources, quoted by Turkish outlets, stated that “the S-400 air defense systems are in our inventory, and there is no change in our position.” The clarification came after a September 3 report by Turkish outlet Nefes claimed Russia had approached Ankara about taking the systems back, a claim that subsequently circulated in foreign media.
Russian agency RIA Novosti later cited a Turkish source denying any plan to return or sell the systems. The ministry’s statement on Thursday aligned with that denial, indicating continuity rather than a policy shift.
Turkey signed the S-400 contract with Russia in December 2017, valued at roughly $2.5 billion, and received the first deliveries in July 2019. Ankara conducted a test near Sinop in October 2020. In December of the same year, the United States imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and removed Turkey from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
Since then, Ankara has maintained that its stance on the S-400s remains intact while it evaluates other air-defense options and engages in broader defense discussions with Washington. Turkish officials have generally framed the issue as part of a wider portfolio of defense ties, which includes modernization efforts and potential acquisitions separate from the S-400 dispute.
The latest statement neither introduces new steps regarding the systems nor signals forthcoming changes. It instead underscores Ankara’s preference to affirm the status quo, even as reporting and commentary periodically raise questions about the S-400s’ future and the balance Turkey seeks to maintain between its NATO commitments and defense cooperation with Russia.
In practical terms, the ministry’s remarks leave the current arrangement in place: the S-400s remain in inventory, and Turkey continues to pursue parallel tracks in its defense relationships without indicating a reversal on the system itself.
