A Turkish government source denied Hürriyet newspaper's claims regarding the sale of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. The source told RIA Novosti that reports of the systems being transferred to a third country are not true.
Earlier, Hürriyet columnist Abdülkadir Selvi wrote in his column that the S-400s were sold to a Gulf country and that an official statement could be made today. According to the newspaper, potential buyers included the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, and the parties resolved their remaining disputes last night.
Turkey signed a deal to purchase S-400 systems from Russia in 2017 and received the systems in the summer-autumn period of 2019. During this process, the US offered Ankara Patriot systems, but after Turkey insisted on its Russian preference, Washington removed Turkey from the F-35 program and imposed CAATSA sanctions.
This week, US President Donald Trump stated that Turkey's possession of the S-400s does not worry him in the context of the F-35 deal and announced that sanctions on Ankara will be lifted. Trump also added that a final decision on the sale of F-35s has not yet been made. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that they have received a promise from the US for 5 new F-35s.