Russia to deliver 2 S-400 missile systems to Türkiye

Russia's move appears to be an attempt to ease tensions in bilateral relations with Türkiye amid the tense fighting in Syria in several key areas.

Türkiye launches "trick"

Faced with a series of "unfriendly" economic and diplomatic moves from Ankara, Russia has decided to lift the ban on tomato imports from Türkiye.

On October 21, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, co-chair of the Russia-Turkey Intergovernmental Commission, announced that Russia will lift restrictions on tomato imports from Türkiye from November 1. According to Mr. Novak, the two sides have agreed that from this point on, Russia can import 50,000 tons of tomatoes from Türkiye.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak

Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci immediately welcomed Russia's move. Mr. Zeybekci said he "expressed gratitude" to Russian Energy Minister Novak for congratulating him on this.

Russia is expected to lift restrictions on tomato imports from Türkiye from December 1. In return, Russia wants Turkey to lift complicated regulations on the import of agricultural products from Russia. Previously, on October 9, Türkiye imposed additional requirements that made it difficult for agricultural products imported from Russia.

Russia's move appears to be an attempt to ease tensions in its bilateral relationship with Turkey amid a standoff in Syria in key areas and a dispute over the sale of S-400 missiles.

Under the deal, Russia will deliver two S-400 systems to Türkiye next year and then help the country produce two more domestically. The deal is said to be worth around $2.5 billion.

Russian President V. Putin (left) and Turkish President R. Erdogan

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu even said that Ankara could cancel the deal and look for another partner if Moscow is not willing to share the technology of its most advanced air defense system.

"We have agreed in principle on joint production in the medium and long term. If the Russians do not agree, we will sign an agreement with another country," said Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Diplomatically, Türkiye has also made an official move to put pressure on Russia. On October 10, President Erdogan declared that Ankara would "never accept" Russia's annexation of Crimea and affirmed that it would continue to support Ukraine on this issue.

However, just a few days later, on October 13, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan affirmed that there was no problem with the plan to buy Russia's S-400, and said that the two sides had also conducted negotiations related to the S-500 system.

In an interview with reporters, President Erdogan said there would be no joint production between the two countries in the first phase of the agreement to purchase the S-400 air defense missile system, but the two sides would participate in the production steps in the next phase.

Russia replied

In addition to proactively cooling down tensions with Türkiye, Russia also responded to Türkiye's "tricks" by reporting a series of S-400 supply agreements with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and India.

According to a report by the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, the agency has received about 10 applications to purchase the S-400.

Besides, Russian "experts" also continuously speak out to highly appreciate Türkiye's purchase of the S-400.

Sputnik quoted Alexey Podberezkin, Director of the Center for Political and Military Studies of the National University of International Relations (MGIMO), as saying that the contract to purchase this unique and effective system will ensure Turkey's security.

Russian official media, including RT and Sputnik, actively promote the power of the S-400 missile system.

“Yes, we have received an advance payment. I cannot say how much it is at the moment. The buyer wants to move earlier, but the issue is still under discussion,” said Mr. Kozhin.

According to Sputnik, Turkish representatives have said that they expect the missile systems to begin being delivered within two years.

On September 12, Moscow and Ankara signed a contract for the purchase of S-400 air defense missile systems. The details of the agreement were not disclosed due to the “specificity and sensitivity of the topic.”

According to Mr. Aleksey Podberezkin, S-400 ensures defense against most means of attack.

“Today, the sovereignty of a state is largely determined by its aerospace defense capabilities. The S-400 is the system that ensures defense against almost all means of attack, even medium-range ballistic missiles,” Podberezkin said.

It is a very effective system, covering a large area to detect and destroy targets. There is no system similar to the S-400 in the world.

Possessing the S-400 will ensure Türkiye’s security against difficult-to-destroy targets such as radar-detecting aircraft. With its unique system, many countries such as China and India want to buy it.”

Türkiye needs Russia and S-400 as "leverage" in relations with the US and EU?

Sputnik also quoted Mesut Hakkı Chashin, a retired Turkish Air Force officer and Professor of International Relations at the Air Force Academy and Ozyegin University in Istanbul, as saying: “The S-400 system has all the ultra-modern settings that Türkiye needs, with a range of 400 km, an altitude of up to 30 km… For Türkiye, all these are very important factors.”

According to Mr. Chashin, Türkiye's defense problem has not been solved since the 1990s, and defense systems are an essential need for the country. Mr. Chashin said: "It is clear that Türkiye has an urgent need for the most modern air defense missile systems.

We remember during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988, Iraq launched missile attacks on Iran.

During the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, we saw the effects of the missiles that Baghdad possessed.”

According to Dat Viet Newspaper