Why Turkey just can't easily give up the S-400

Ahval

Turkey’s Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar proposed moving the system to a location away from NATO facilities, akin to Greece’s acquiring of the S-300 in the 1990s from Cyprus. However, Akar acknowledged in an interview with Sabah that the U.S has remained dug into its position that the S-400 would have to go and that all negotiations for a second batch have to be halted to remove sanctions. He also noted that he has so far failed to get in touch with his American counterpart, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. Dr. Aaron Stein, director of research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) in Philadelphia, said that the Biden administration’s approach to Turkey, and in some cases the cold shoulder given to it, is indicative of a new approach that breaks from its predecessor. “It is clear from the outset that the Biden team has come in and has sought to reset the terms of the Turkish-American relationship from the Trump administration,” explained Stein in a recent podcast interview with Ahval News.