By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
The Kremlin said on September 30 that the possible transfer of Türkiye's Russian-made S-400 air defense systems to a third country is on the agenda, with work and contacts under way.
"The issue is on the agenda, relevant work is being carried out and relevant contacts are taking place," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked whether Russia was considering moving the systems from Türkiye to a country friendly to Moscow.
The comments came four days after Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Türkiye could not move the systems abroad without Russian approval and that Ankara had not submitted a request.
Lavrov said on September 26 that Moscow could consider a transfer if the recipient was friendly toward Russia and provided guarantees that the systems would not later be moved elsewhere. He said Türkiye remained bound by the end-user terms of the original contract.
Peskov did not identify the countries involved in the contacts, name a possible destination or say whether Ankara had since submitted a formal request.
Russia had already acknowledged contacts with Türkiye over the S-400 file. On July 10, Peskov described the issue as "extremely sensitive" and said Moscow had been in contact with the Turkish side and would continue those contacts.
On September 30, Peskov said the possible transfer itself was on the agenda and that work on the issue was under way.
Türkiye's Defense Ministry said on July 16 that work related to the S-400 long-range air and missile defense systems was continuing "in a multifaceted manner" and that the public would be informed when there were concrete developments.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed the issue more directly on September 19. In an NTV interview published in an official Foreign Ministry transcript, he said Türkiye was seeking the removal of U.S. sanctions imposed under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and that there were "creative ideas" for resolving the S-400 dispute.
On September 27 in New York, after Lavrov said Moscow had received no formal request, Fidan confirmed that talks were continuing.
"Who said we're not talking?" he told journalist Bahar Feyzan. "Our talks are continuing. Our talks are continuing with everyone."
Fidan gave no timetable and did not identify where the systems could be sent.
Türkiye's acquisition of the S-400 led Washington to remove Ankara from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and impose CAATSA sanctions on the Presidency of Defense Industries in December 2020.
Transferring the systems out of Türkiye would not by itself lift CAATSA sanctions or restore Türkiye to the F-35 program. U.S. law requires additional steps to terminate the sanctions, while any return to the F-35 program would remain a separate U.S. decision.
Neither Ankara nor Moscow has announced an agreement or publicly identified a recipient country.
Sources: TASS, Interfax, RBC, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, Türkiye's Defense Ministry, U.S. State Department, U.S. Department of Defense, Bahar Feyzan / reported remarks, Bosphorus News review and reporting.