Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has categorically rejected media reports that the country has resold its Russian S-400 air defense systems to a third party. Officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party have described the reports as "pure speculation" and said they were untrue.
Ankara's reaction comes after an article in the authoritative Turkish newspaper "Hürriyet" claimed that the S-400 systems had already been agreed upon and were being delivered to a Gulf state - with the United Arab Emirates or Qatar being named as possible buyers. According to unofficial analyses in the Turkish media, a possible release of the Russian systems would help Turkey lift US sanctions under the CAATSA law and return to the F-35 fifth-generation fighter program. However, the party leadership maintains the position that the air defense systems remain the property of Turkey.