S-400 Defense System: Has Turkey, which supports Pakistan on every issue including Kashmir, now resorted to deception? Turkey will now give the S-400 missile system it received from Russia to India. Actually, this has come out of a Turkish media report, which claimed that Russia has offered to buy back the S-400 missile system that was given to Turkey in 2019. Russia is reported to have offered to sell it to other countries including India. This claim has been made in a report.
According to the report, Turkey allegedly wants to end its dispute with the US over the long-range system capable of detecting, tracking and destroying fighter jets, drones and missiles. Turkey is developing its own defense system to replace this system. In such a situation, it does not want to upset America by keeping the Russian defense system with itself.
The media further said that Ankara is still not actively using the S-400 defense system. Along with this, it has never been included in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Most of Turkey’s missiles have also completed their half-life, due to which their maintenance costs have become a big burden.
On the other hand, the report quoted some Indian media as suggesting that as a result of this deal, India may get its own S-400 defense system, which Russia will upgrade first. Only then will it be deployed to face threats like China and Pakistan. However, neither Russia nor Turkey has confirmed this report yet. But experts believe that Russia will not be able to leave any S-400 for export from the Ukrainian war front. Turkey has now largely made a deal with the US and no longer needs these systems, while India is keen to get more of them as soon as possible.
The interests of both sides are more important than ever, as Russia will have to regain its rapidly declining role in the global arms market, as most of its production has shifted from exports to the frontline since 2022. The new Trip corridor lays the foundation for a US-Turkish military-strategic partnership along Russia’s entire southern periphery, provided that US sanctions on the S-400 are lifted. The India-Pakistan clashes during Operation Sindoor in May have made air defence a new priority for New Delhi.
