Turkey has sold the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems it bought from Russia to a Gulf country.
Modern.az reports that the pro-government newspaper "Hürriyet" published this information, citing its sources.
According to the newspaper's columnist Abdulkadir Selvi, the agreement could be announced on July 10. He claims that the parties resolved the last technical and legal issues a day earlier. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are mentioned as potential buyers, but there is no official confirmation of this information yet.
Turkish authorities have not commented on the news.
A day earlier, "Hürriyet" newspaper reported that Ankara was looking for a legal solution that would lift US CAATSA sanctions and remove obstacles to the country's return to the F-35 fighter jet program. One of the options discussed was selling the S-400 systems to a third country.
"Oksijen" newspaper also wrote that the UAE is the most likely buyer. After talks with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit on July 7-8, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed hope that Ankara would return to the F-35 program. Trump, in turn, noted that no final decision has been made on this issue yet.
Turkey purchased four S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia in 2017. The value of the contract was 2.5 billion dollars. After this agreement, Ankara was excluded from the US F-35 program, and sanctions were imposed against Turkey under the CAATSA Act.
