Turkey rejects US proposal to send S-400s to Ukraine, demands F-35 program compensation
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that the United States had proposed Turkey to send the S-400 air defense system it acquired from Russia to Ukraine, but Ankara declined the request.
“The US asked us to send the S-400s to Ukraine, and we said no,” Cavusolgu was quoted as saying by state-run news agency Anadolu. He emphasized that such proposals were unacceptable as they infringed upon Turkish sovereignty.
Turkey’s decision to procure the S-400 missile systems resulted in its removal from the multinational program for the development of the fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jet.
Regarding a possible return to the F-35 program, Cavusoglu stated, “Ankara does not want to return to the program but rather wants back from Washington the money it paid for fighter jets before it was out of the program, while its jets were never delivered.”
He further mentioned that Turkey is currently “producing our own national combat aircraft” and expressed the country’s interest in improving its ties with the US, including its intention to purchase F-16 jets and modernization kits.
