Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Russia he is ready to sell back the S-400 air defense systems in order to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program - a move former Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Korsunskyy says marks a definitive return to Turkey's NATO trajectory.
Korsunsky revealed the backstory behind the original S-400 purchase during a broadcast with Yuriy Romanenko on March 5, as "Hvylya" reported.
The purchase, the diplomat explained, was never about defending Turkey from external enemies. "The S-400 is designed to combat American aircraft, not Russian ones," he said. After the 2016 coup attempt, when F-15s flew over Ankara - something Korsunsky witnessed firsthand from his balcony - Erdogan feared his own military more than any foreign adversary. The S-400s were deployed around Ankara as protection against a repeat scenario.
The decision cost Turkey dearly. Ankara had been negotiating for years to become the world's largest F-35 maintenance hub - a deal that would have delivered both the aircraft and a massive technological leap in aviation. Washington killed the arrangement, arguing that S-400 radar could capture the F-35's signature and share it with Russian systems worldwide.
"Everything is clear now. There's no need to shoot down F-15s over Ankara," Korsunsky said. The S-400s, purchased for billions of dollars, "can be returned to Russia, and Turkey can return to a normal NATO trajectory." He added that Turkey never suspended its alliance membership and remained "a very consistent supporter of alliance relations" throughout the dispute.
The pivot, according to the diplomat, fits a broader pattern. Just before the current Middle East crisis, the Kurdistan Workers' Party laid down its arms - a major victory for Erdogan. Combined with the S-400 reversal, Turkey appears to be clearing the decks for a more conventional Western alignment at a moment when the region needs NATO cohesion most.
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