Washington, 21 March 2022 (TDI): There is speculation that the United States has asked Turkey to send its Russian-designed modern S-400 missile system to Ukraine so that the assaulted country could fend off their hostile neighbor Russian soldiers.
This news also came up during the Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman’s visit to Turkey earlier this month.
This suggestion was given by the US officials to the Turkish authorities, but they have taken no action on this so far.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States under the Joe Biden administration has asked all their allies who possess Russian-made missile systems like that of the S-300s and S-400s. They are requested to transfer their equipment to Ukraine so that it could balance the winning chances on the battlefield.
According to many analysts, they have discarded this idea because Turkey and the United States are considering alternatives to end this war along with improving their bilateral relations.
No news came from the Turkish authorities or the Turkish Foreign Ministry, regarding this proposal of giving away their missile system to Ukraine. Withholding Russian equipment in the past has been a disturbing matter for both states.
It was asked by the United States to dispose of the Russian designed assets, but Turkey did not act on this, and the United States applied economic sanctions on its defense sector.
From Turkish sources regarding the proposal, there are many technical issues with the proposal requiring immense effort and time to install and transfer the system over to Ukraine.
Ankara is also cautious of the backlash they might get from Russia if acted on this proposal. When the sanctions were applied, Turkish officials responded by saying that they were pushed to the last resort, which was to buy Russian design military equipment because NATO and the United States were not giving them the equipment required as per criteria.
