The United States has informally proposed to Turkey to send its Russian-made S-400 air defense missile system to Ukraine.
According to a Reuters report on the 19th, U.S. officials have made the proposal to Turkey in the past month, but have not made a specific or formal request. It was also mentioned during a visit to Turkey by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Sherman in early March. But the report said it was unlikely that the proposal would be implemented.
The Turkish government has yet to comment on any U.S. proposal or proposal for the "handover of the S-400 system," the report said. But analysts pointed out that any such proposal would be "impossible" for Turkey due to possible obstacles to installation and operation of the S-400 system in Ukraine, as well as the possibility of "strikes from Russia" for the Turkish side. ".
According to previous reports, Turkey signed the first S-400 purchase contract with Russia in 2017, and Russia began to deliver S-400 equipment to Turkey in July 2019. The United States has always firmly opposed Turkey’s purchase of this system, “kicked out” Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program, and imposed sanctions on Turkey. Reuters reported that Turkey had said it was "forced to choose" the S-400 system because the allies had not "provided weapons on satisfactory terms".
According to previous reports, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on March 14 that Turkey provided Ukraine with the support that other NATO allies did not provide, and continued to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. In addition, Erdogan once again proposed in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine could go to Turkey for a meeting. Erdogan said that if Russia and Ukraine are to reach a consensus on key issues, a meeting between the leaders of the two countries may be required.
