Turkey S-400 rebasing work under way, Kremlin says

The Kremlin said Wednesday that work was under way on rebasing Russian-made S-400 missile-defence systems from Turkey to another country, a move that could affect Ankara's effort to regain access to the US F-35 fighter jet programme.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move was “on the agenda” and that “relevant work is being done and appropriate contacts are taking place”.

Turkey bought the S-400 systems from Russia in 2017 during strained relations with Washington over Syria and other issues. The purchase drew criticism from other NATO members and led the United States to sanction Turkey under the CAATSA act, blocking Ankara from procuring US-made F-35s it had already paid for.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that Moscow could agree to transfer the defence systems to another country. He said Russia would be ready if the country receiving the systems was responsible and maintained friendly relations with Moscow, according to the state TASS news agency.

Turkey has sought to resolve the long-running F-35 dispute with Washington. At a NATO summit in Ankara in early July, US President Donald Trump said he was considering letting Turkey back into the programme.