India, Türkiye's purchases of Russian S-400s are different cases, says Pentagon

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) - India’s and Türkiye’s purchases of Russian S-400 missile defense are two different cases, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was asked why the US took certain measures against Turkey for getting the S-400s, while they did not for India, in a case of unequal treatment. Both countries bought the missile systems long before the start of the war in Ukraine last year, but amid longstanding strains in US ties with Russia.

“We encourage all of our partners and allies to avoid transactions with Russia. That's something that we've continued to reiterate with Turkey, with India, and with others,” said Singh.

“I think there are very different and two different cases, and when it comes to India, we remain confident in their diversification of equipment and our ability to integrate with them as well,” she added.

In 2017, when its protracted efforts to buy an air defense system from the US proved futile, Türkiye signed a contract with Russia to acquire a state-of-the-art S-400 system.

US officials expressed opposition to their deployment, claiming the S-400 would be incompatible with NATO systems.

Türkiye, however, stressed that the S-400s would not be integrated into NATO systems and pose no threat to the alliance or its armaments. Ankara has repeatedly proposed setting up a commission to clarify the issue.

In 2019, then-President Donald Trump removed Türkiye from the F-35 stealth fighter program over Ankara's purchase of the system, which US officials say poses risks to F-35s, including the possibility that Russia could covertly use the system to obtain classified details on the jet.

Türkiye ordered some 100 F-35s, and its defense sector played prominently in the development and manufacture of the fifth-generation fighter jets. Turkish officials have said the US owes Türkiye $1.4 billion for the F-35s that it paid for but the US never delivered.