Türkiye Not to Send Russian-Made Air Defense System to Ukraine

On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country rejected the U.S. proposal to send its Russian-made S-400 air defense system to Ukraine.

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Washington suggested Türkiye should hand over control of the S-400 system to the U.S. or another country, Cavusoglu said, adding that "the U.S. asked us to send the S-400s to Ukraine, and we said no."

The Foreign Affairs minister stressed that these proposals were unacceptable for Türkiye because they directly concerned Turkish sovereignty.

Tensions between the United States and Türkiye escalated when Ankara and Moscow struck the S-400 deal, as Washington claimed that the S-400 system would be incompatible with the NATO system and may expose its confidential military information to Russia.

Washington later halted the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye and imposed sanctions on Türkiye for its purchase of a Russian-made system. 

On Monday, Türkiye's FM also confirmed that his country will not join the sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union (EU) against Russia.

"We will not join the economic hardships, as we proceed based on our own benefit and prosperity," he said, emphasizing that his country is concentrating its current efforts on the presidential elections that will take place on May 14.

Cavusoglu took aim at the statements of opposition candidate Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, who stated that he will prioritize relations with the West if he becomes president.

"At one of the previous rallies he said something completely different. He said that nothing would threaten Turkey-Russia relations. This is inconsistent," the Foreign Affairs minister commented.