West must deliver F-35 jets to Turkey 'without pre-conditions': Ankara

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Spokesperson, Fahrettin Altun, has shot down the idea that Turkey must transfer its Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems to Ukraine in exchange for F-35 warplanes and Patriot missile batteries from the US.

Kiev has been asking for assistance to be able to resist the Russians as they launched a special military operation.

In a response to a Wall Street Journal op-ed from last week asking Turley to give its S-400s to Kiev to be able to down Russian aircraft, Altun wrote on Wednesday that “it is the responsibility of the West and especially the US to normalize relations with Turkey,” adding that “what the West must do is deliver the F-35 fighter jets and Patriot batteries to Turkey without preconditions.”

He also wrote that Washington’s removal of Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019 was “unlawful". The US rejected the delivery of the promised aircraft after Turkey refused its demand to scrap buying S-400s.

On this matter, a former CIA official wrote that Turkey receiving Patriot batteries would be a nice replacement for the S-400s, but it would be "symbolic" for Russian planes being destroyed by Russian-made missiles.

On Monday, Reuters reported that US officials informally suggested that Russian-made missile systems be transferred to Ukraine during Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s trip to Turkey this month. No comments from Ankara and Washington were issued regarding the matter.

Turkey held talks with the US to purchase the Patriot systems before acquiring the S-400s, but the deal was not successful. Altun noted that Washington withdrew, in 2015, the missiles from the Turkish-Syrian border. Ankara’s relations with Russia deteriorated at the time after a Turkish fighter jet downed a Russian military airplane during its mission in Syria.

"Turks still remember how our allies withdrew Patriot batteries from Turkey during some of the tensest periods in Turkish-Russian relations. In light of experience, the Turkish people no longer take seriously any informal pledge by the West to supply the Patriot," Altun added.

Ukraine has long been asking NATO and the United States to impose a no-fly zone in its airspace, but Brussels and Washington have dismissed the requests.

White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki said last week that the United States is not interested in the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine since it would require the military to shoot down Russian airplanes, which would lead to a war with Russia.

Ukraine is requesting more weapons from West

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba asked the West in late February to send additional weapons in order to "confront" Russia. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister asked Britain to provide his country with "defensive" weapons, noting that Ukraine would resort to all diplomatic methods to "protect" the country.

He indicated that Ukraine would contact other nations regarding supplying Kiev with weapons, accusing Russia of backing out of the Minsk agreements. 

Russia had for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.

After the West did not respond to Russia's demands, and amid Ukrainian shelling on the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, President Vladimir Putin initiated a special military operation in Ukraine.