The issue of Turkey's acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems is closed.

The head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said this to the head of the US State Department, Anthony Blinken.

“We reminded him (Blinken) again why Turkey bought the S-400 from Russia.

The complexes have been purchased, and now the issue is closed, ”the Turkish minister told reporters after talks with Blinken on the sidelines of the summit of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

We will remind, earlier the Charge d'Affaires of the United States at the NATO headquarters Douglas Jones said that the United States "clearly indicated its opinion on Turkey's acquisition of the S-400 complexes."

“We were against the purchase of the S-400.

The presence in NATO (countries) of large Russian weapons systems, such as the S-400, is unacceptable and also contradicts the mutual obligations of the alliance members to overcome their dependence on Russian weapons systems, ”the diplomat emphasized at the briefing.

He added that NATO is a "unique platform" for participants to discuss topics on which they agree, as well as difficult issues that cause disagreement.

“We discuss even the most difficult topics.

Therefore, we will continue to discuss with Turkey the issue of the S-400, both within the framework of bilateral relations and in NATO, and we will continue to work together in the alliance, paving the way forward, ”Jones emphasized.

  • Mevlut Cavusoglu and Anthony Blinken

  • Reuters

  • © Virginia Mayo / Pool

Solidarity crisis

Recall that on March 19, US Ambassador to Ankara David Satterfield called the only way to overcome the Turkish-American differences over the S-400 issue Ankara's refusal to use Russian systems.

“Turkey should abandon the S-400.

This is the only solution, ”he was quoted by the Yeni тируетafak newspaper.

The diplomat also warned that the receipt by Ankara of the second S-400 regiment "would have serious consequences."

French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke about the future of relations between NATO and Turkey.

“We need to clearly define Turkey's place within NATO,” he said in an interview with France 5 TV channel.

At the same time, “it is necessary to maintain a dialogue with Turkey, it is necessary to do everything so that it does not turn away from Europe and does not go to further consolidate religious extremism or to geopolitical steps that will be negative for us,” he added.

As Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a comment to RT, Turkey is an important player in NATO, the country has a strong military and geopolitical potential.

“Therefore, Washington does not want to completely alienate Ankara.

The American side is trying to act in a balanced manner, adding to this pressure other NATO members.

In line with this policy, the French leader made a statement, ”the expert said.

In turn, Sergei Ermakov, head of the regional security sector at the RISS Center for Defense Studies, believes that the words of the French President reflect the general trend observed in NATO.

“The alliance is experiencing a serious crisis, the interests of other countries of the bloc and Turkey diverge further and further.

In addition, Macron has long-standing contradictions with his Turkish counterpart, the geopolitical interests of the countries are in conflict.

And this is reflected in the state of the North Atlantic Alliance.

In general, Ankara is now perceived by NATO as not a very reliable participant, "the expert explained in an interview with RT.

Factor C-400

One of the main reasons for Turkey's disagreements with other states of the bloc was Ankara's acquisition of Russian air defense systems, experts say.

Washington plays the main role in this.

This pressure is not conducive to constructive dialogue between countries.

This was announced in early March by the official representative of the President of Turkey, Ibrahim Kalyn.

As an example, the official cited Turkish-Russian relations, he recalled that Moscow and Ankara had disagreements on a number of issues, but the countries managed to resolve them through constructive dialogue.

“Why can't we do the same with the United States?

If another country addresses us from a position of maximalism and with the demand "either this way or nothing", then such an attitude forces us to look in a different direction, "Kalyn said in an interview with Bloomberg.

  • Recep Tayyip Erdogan

  • Reuters

  • © Umit Bektas

He also stressed that Ankara "has the right to have S-400 systems that will not be integrated into the NATO security system."

Recall that Russia and Turkey signed an agreement for the supply of the first batch of S-400 air defense systems in 2017.

By November 2019, Moscow completed the supply of components for air defense systems.

In August 2020, the parties signed a contract for the supply of the second batch of air defense systems.

This was announced then by the head of Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev.

Russian-Turkish cooperation in the defense sphere causes great dissatisfaction with Ankara's partner in NATO - Washington.

The American authorities have repeatedly demanded that the Turkish side break the contract for the purchase of the S-400.

In 2019, the controversy between the United States and Turkey went so far that Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to close the Incirlik and Kurecik bases to the US military. 

However, the Donald Trump administration did not stop at imposing restrictions on Turkey.

The republic was excluded from the F-35 fifth generation fighter program.

Turkish companies have participated in it since 2002 and supplied components.

In December 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

The country's defense industry department and four Turkish officials, including the head of the department, Ismail Demir, fell under the restrictions.

In addition, the requirement to impose sanctions against Turkey because of its decision to buy the S-400 was included in the US defense budget for the 2021 fiscal year.

Ankara condemned the US decision.

As stated in the country's Foreign Ministry, Washington's arguments that the S-400 systems would endanger the NATO system "are not substantiated from a technical point of view." 

Non-competitive struggle

According to experts, the Joe Biden administration will not ease the pressure on Turkey over the S-400.

As Sergei Ermakov explained, through this pressure, the American authorities are trying to inflict damage on the Russian defense industry and Russia as a whole.

“One can even expect that the Biden administration will toughen the US course towards Russia.

This will affect US-Turkish relations as well, as Ankara buys Russian weapons.

Now the United States is striving to rally NATO to confront the Russian Federation and China and does this sometimes by "twisting the arms" of its own partners, "the expert said.

As part of such a course, Washington is unlikely to make concessions to Turkey on the purchase of the S-400, Yermakov believes.

“However, Ankara will fight for its interests to the last - the country's leadership has already clearly defined its foreign policy interests.

The pressure on Turkey will be mainly through NATO, in the alliance everyone is subordinate to the United States.

However, Washington and the alliance will not break off relations with Ankara.

Turkey is important for the bloc because of its strategic geographic location, the country controls the entrance to the Black Sea, it is the gateway to the Middle East, ”the expert explained.

Konstantin Blokhin adheres to a similar point of view.

According to him, the fact that Washington does not give up hope to dissuade Turkey from using the S-400 should not surprise anyone.

“The United States pursues its long-term interests.

And after the change of the White House administration, they have not changed.

Washington is not satisfied with the purchase of Ankara, since the S-400 is a competitor to American air defense systems, ”the expert noted.

At the same time, Ankara's refusal to obey the calls of the United States and NATO speaks of a discord in the structure of the alliance, Konstantin Blokhin is sure.

“Turkey's position does not fit into the idea that the North Atlantic Alliance should be a well-coordinated mechanism.

But, although the United States will continue to put pressure on the Turkish leadership, Turkey will remain in NATO.

First of all, the White House wants to keep Ankara in the field of American foreign policy, ”the expert summed up.