Kremlin confirms S-400 transfer from Turkey to friendly nation on agenda

September 30, 2026 at 03:15 PM2 min

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 30 that the transfer of Russian S-400 air defense systems from Turkey to a friendly country is on the agenda, with relevant work and contacts underway. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara continues talks with all parties on re-exporting the systems. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier stated Moscow could agree to move the S-400s to a friendly nation, but no formal request has been received.

Key Facts

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 30 that the transfer of S-400 systems from Turkey to a friendly country is on the agenda, with relevant work and contacts underway.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara continues negotiations with all parties on re-exporting the S-400 complexes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow could agree to move the S-400 systems to a friendly country, but no formal request has been received.
Turkey signed a contract with Russia in 2017 to purchase four S-400 divisions for about $2.5 billion, with the first systems delivered in summer 2019.
After the S-400 deal, Washington excluded Ankara from the F-35 fighter program and imposed CAATSA sanctions in December 2020.

Kremlin Position

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on September 30 that the issue of moving Russian S-400 air defense systems from Turkey to a friendly country is on the agenda. Peskov said relevant work is being carried out and appropriate contacts are being made, without specifying a timeline or destination country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had earlier stated that Moscow could agree to transfer the S-400s to a third friendly nation, but no such request has been received. Lavrov emphasized that Turkey cannot move the systems outside its territory without Russia's consent.

Turkish Negotiations

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara continues negotiations with all parties regarding the re-export of the S-400 complexes. Turkey signed a contract with Russia in 2017 to purchase four S-400 divisions for approximately $2.5 billion. The first S-400 systems were delivered to Turkey in summer 2019, and Rosoboronexport confirmed the contract was completed in October 2019.

US Sanctions

After Turkey acquired the S-400 systems, Washington excluded Ankara from the F-35 fifth-generation fighter program. In December 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). During the NATO summit in July, US President Donald Trump said Washington would lift sanctions imposed on Turkey over the Russian S-400 systems.