---
title: "S-400 as a Coin: Ankara Tries to Sell Russian SAMs to a Third Country for F-35"
description: "Turkey plans to sell Russian S-400 SAMs to a third country to lift US sanctions and obtain F-35 fighters. 🇹🇷✈️ The Kremlin calls the issue delicate, while Trump has already hinted at lifting restrictions. ⚡️"
date: 2026-07-11T12:32:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/turkey-sells-s-400-for-f-35
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# S-400 as a Coin: Ankara Tries to Sell Russian SAMs to a Third Country for F-35

![US Navy F-35 Lightning II fighters in flight — symbol of Western military pressure on Turkey over S-400](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/11/turciya-prodaet-s-400-za-f-35/turciya-prodaet-s-400-za-f-35-1.webp)

The geopolitical chess game between Ankara, Moscow, and Washington has entered a decisive phase. Turkey, striving to regain its status as a full-fledged NATO partner and gain access to the latest technologies, is forced to seek a compromise with the past. At the center of attention are the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, which have become a stumbling block in relations with the United States.

### Ankara's New Move: Selling Instead of Returning

According to the latest data, Turkish officials have intensified negotiations with Russia. The goal is ambitious: to obtain Moscow's consent to transfer the S-400 air defense systems to a third country. This decision represents an evolution of previous ideas by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who previously suggested simply returning the systems to Russia. However, this option did not gain support, and now Ankara is considering the possibility of selling them.

At present, the Russian-made batteries are formally in the service of Turkey, but they are not actually in operation. If the Kremlin gives the green light, the systems will be transported to a state that remains in the shadows for now. Sources indicate that a potential buyer could be one of the Gulf states. Such a move would allow Ankara to gain a triple benefit: get rid of a "toxic" asset, earn money, and relieve itself of the burden of responsibility towards Washington.

### US Pressure and the Kremlin's Position

The conflict over the S-400 began back in 2019, when Turkey, dissatisfied with the US refusal to sell Patriot systems, turned to Russia. In response, Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara under the CAATSA law in 2020 and excluded the country from the F-35 program. Americans feared that Russian radars could intercept data on the secret technologies of fifth-generation fighters.

Turkey tried to resolve the issue by offering the US to take control of the S-400 operation to guarantee data security, but the White House rejected this idea. Now, on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, the situation has flared up again. US President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of lifting the ban on fighter sales, noting that Erdoğan "helped in many aspects".

However, the path to the F-35 is not so simple. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the issue of transferring Russian SAMs "extremely delicate". Moscow has not yet given an official answer. At the same time, US senators warn that simply moving the systems to a third country may not fully solve the security problem, as the technology has already been transferred.

### Economic and Strategic Calculation

For Turkey, this maneuver is a matter of survival under sanction pressure. Recently, it became known that Donald Trump announced the lifting of sanctions against Turkey, which became a powerful stimulus for Ankara to accelerate the process. The sale of S-400s to a third country is seen as the final touch necessary for the complete lifting of restrictions.

The situation remains dynamic. Ankara hopes that transferring Russian systems to another buyer will clear the way for the purchase of American fighters, but the final decision depends on the coordination of the interests of three capitals: Moscow, Washington, and Ankara.