An 'Honorable Stance' in the S-400 Saga!..

While the taste of the carrots dangled by Trump, and the NATO Summit—which was all glitz on the outside but hollow on the inside—still lingered, Erdoğan attended the National Defense University Staff Officer Graduation Ceremony the other day, where he spoke of reaching an 82 percent localization rate in the defense industry and demonstrating a very strong presence in international alliances.

He then emphasized the following:

“Regardless of which organization we are a member of, our heads are held high and our conscience is clear in the challenging geography we inhabit. We must be strong to live this way. We cannot entrust Turkey's security to anyone, and we can never compromise on our national security.”

At the same ceremony, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler also addressed Erdoğan, stating, “In line with the effective diplomacy and strong state will conducted under your leadership, we are resolutely taking the necessary measures on every issue concerning our national security.” After expressing his gratitude on behalf of the Ministry of National Defense and the Turkish Armed Forces, he noted that “strong armies can only survive with qualified personnel who can think strategically, perform accurate analysis, and adapt rapidly to changing conditions, alongside modern weapon systems.”

On the same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, who appeared on a live TRT broadcast, boasted about Trump coming to the NATO Summit for Erdoğan, saying that “such strong leadership has now become a national asset of Turkey and an international capability,” adding that this was “a tremendous contribution to Turkish diplomacy.”

“We Will Not Allow a Breach in the Fortress of Turkey”

Moving from this grand framework painted by our country's leaders regarding our security and diplomacy, let us recall where we started and where we have arrived in the process regarding the S-400s purchased from Russia.

When the then-Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to the then-Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar—described as the “2nd Johnson Letter”—informing us that we would be removed from the F-35 project if the S-400s were purchased, no one made a peep.

Following the letter, Erdoğan announced that Trump, whom he met at the G-20 Summit in Japan, had said, “If you activate the S-400s, we will find a way around the sanctions.” However, Trump’s ally Senatör Lindsey Graham stated that he was “doubtful that this conversation took place,” and suggested that Washington could avoid sanctions if Turkey did not activate the S-400s and instead purchased American-made Patriot air defense systems.

In the end, the S-400 batteries arrived in Turkey, and the US administration did what it said it would. When the first test of the S-400 was conducted, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “It is concerning. We have clearly conveyed to Turkey our request not to make the S-400 system fully operational.” The then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu replied, “A product is not bought to be kept in a box. The air defense system has a significant cost, but we need it more than the cost.”

Following the approval of the budget bill containing the sanctions in the US Senate, let us summarize the statements Erdoğan made in 2019-2020:

- “They shamelessly say, ‘We will impose sanctions.’ This is a complete violation of our rights... We are not a nation that will stand by with its hands tied... Therefore, we will certainly implement our own sanctions regarding this issue.”

- “We have started receiving our S-400s. They said, ‘They cannot buy them,’ they said, ‘They cannot place them anywhere,’ they said, ‘It would not be right for you to buy them,’ and as of today, the 8th plane has arrived, and it has started unloading its cargo. Hopefully, we will put the final point in April 2020, and with this, we are becoming one of the few countries in the world with our air defense systems. Now the goal is to carry out joint production with Russia. We will go further.”

- “I hope the US will act with common sense regarding the S-400s... We will be able to start using these systems actively in April 2020. I want to express that no threat or sanction directed at Turkey on this issue, especially the proposals for exclusion from the F-35 project, will prevent our country from implementing its security priorities. No more injustice should be done to Turkey... We will do whatever our security needs require. A few years later, we will encounter a different landscape in Turkey. We will not allow a breach in the fortress of Turkey.”

- “By April at the latest, these will be mounted in their places, and the moment they are mounted, we will be in a much more peaceful state as a defense system.”

- “There is no such thing as us taking a step back from the S-400s.”

- “We also made this offer to America: ‘If you are going to give them, you give us Patriots too. We will buy Patriots from you as well.’ However, they have softened quite a bit on the S-400 issue; they have reached the point of saying, ‘Give us your word that you will not activate the S-400s.’”

During that process, the then-Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar also repeatedly stated that the S-400s would become operational in April 2020, explaining the following:

- “Turkey is tired of being a market. We will do joint production, we will do technology transfer, and we will be producers ourselves... The S-400s will start to be installed from October. We will share the locations when they are determined. Our purchase of the S-400s is a necessity beyond being a preference. We have to protect and look after our 82 million citizens.”

- “We bought them to use; there is no question of selling them to other countries.”

- “We are playing the game by its rules. They said, ‘You cannot buy them;’ you bought them. ‘You cannot sign;’ you signed. ‘You cannot bring them;’ you brought them. ‘You cannot open them;’ you opened them. Our President gave them their answers. The S-400s will become operational... let no one have any doubt about this, period.”

But April came and went, and no progress was made. When asked, they half-heartedly took refuge in the excuse of the “Coronavirus pandemic.”

Finally, when it was announced that the S-400 tests were conducted in Sinop in October 2020, for the first time, the then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, along with the US, expressed his reaction. Stoltenberg emphasized that he was concerned about Turkey purchasing these systems and that they would not be integrated into the NATO system.

Erdoğan responded to these reactions as follows:

“This approach by America absolutely does not bind us. Because if we are not going to test these types of capabilities we have, what are we going to do? I suppose we are not going to get up and ask America about this... Greece has S-300s. Forget about tests, they are using them. Does America ask or say anything like this to them? No. So, the fact that it is a weapon belonging to Russia seems to bother these gentlemen. We are determined, and we are continuing on our path in the same way.”

A response to these words from Erdoğan came from Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman. Stating that having an operational S-400 system “is not consistent with Turkey’s commitment as a NATO Ally to the United States and the Alliance,” Hoffman said, “The US Department of Defense condemns in the strongest possible terms the S-400 tests confirmed by President Erdoğan.”

“This is a National Issue, We Will All Show an Upright Stance”

When the US declared our country an “adversary” on December 14, 2020, and announced new sanctions regarding the S-400s, Erdoğan’s reaction was as follows:

- “Since 2017, no country other than Turkey has been subjected to these CAATSA sanctions; for the first time, they are being applied to our country as a NATO member. What kind of alliance is this? What kind of partnership is this? This decision is an open attack on our country’s sovereign rights.”

- “No country can determine the steps we will take regarding the defense industry... We cannot take our steps regarding defense by getting permission from somewhere. We are a NATO country. As a NATO country, we can never accept the countries we are together with in NATO giving us directions.”

While our Foreign and Defense ministries announced that they condemned and rejected the decision, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu challenged them with the words, “This is a national issue. We will all show an honorable, upright stance,” and “We will not take a step back.”

While Minister of Defense Akar stated that “a request such as sending them back would cause trouble,” and noted that “the S-400 will not be fixed in one place, it will be deployed wherever there is a need,” the then-Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said, “We did not make our decision on the S-400 issue in one day. This is a decision that emerged as a result of a process. Our President discussed this issue in depth at meetings regarding the defense industry... There is no question of taking a step back from this decision. We believe that the S-400s do not pose a threat to the NATO defense system or the F-35s, and that a mechanism can be established to address the security concerns raised by the American side.”

Let’s Donate Them to the “Financier” of July 15

After this 9-year struggle and billions of dollars in losses, like a master and his groom, the point reached with Trump honoring Turkey on the occasion of the NATO summit was first announced by Hande Fırat, and then by Abdülkadir Selvi; it seems they are focusing on a formula for selling the S-400s to a third country, and the strongest option for American officials is a sale to the United Arab Emirates or Qatar!..

Selvi’s joy was indescribable; he heralded the news by saying, “By getting rid of the S-400s, Turkey will not only get rid of the CAATSA sanctions, but will also make money by selling them”!..

Oh, how wonderful, at least we won't be giving them away for free. Yet, it would have been more meaningful if they were donated to the UAE, which they specifically claimed was the “financier” of July 15!..

That same Selvi had previously written that when asked about the fate of the S-400s, the answer given was, “They said ‘You cannot buy them,’ we bought them. They said ‘You cannot bring them,’ we brought them. We have provided training to the personnel who will use them. It is continuing on its course.” At the end of his first term, he had said about Trump, “He has gone down in history as the president who disgraced America to the world. Now, not a comfortable retirement, but the fate of being tried and going to prison awaits him.” Now, he is happy about these gifts from Trump.

Okan Müderrisoğlu, the Ankara Representative of Sabah, an important name in the pro-government media, explained the stage reached by saying, “While national defense and national security priorities were being updated in line with realpolitik calculations, the management of US-based strategic interests also weighed heavily in the total balance.” Is that so? Yet, he too had previously shown resistance, saying, “Turkish-US relations cannot continue in their old format. The era of ‘arm-twisting, deploying background instruments and elements to the field’ must now close,” and “The US administration... is in a state of recklessness that is incompatible with an alliance relationship... It is a cautionary tale that the S-400 purchase has turned into blackmail... It would be extreme optimism to expect a solution from Ankara that goes beyond the ‘S-400s will be bought, they will stay somewhere else’ approach,” and had even suggested, “taking the S-400s out of the hangar and activating them as a symbolic message around the capital, for example in Ayaş and Elmadağ.”

What Ayaş, what Elmadağ?.. They will be sent to Qatar or the UAE without even opening the packaging. How good, at least we won't have packaging costs!..

Suppose the money is received from the country to which they will be sent. But our loss is not just the money paid for the S-400s; there is a loss of billions of dollars along with its repercussions. The cost of the blow dealt to the honor of the nation, the country, and the state is beyond calculation.

However, it is clear as day that our officials, let alone taking political responsibility for the S-400s, will tell new success stories. Despite this, isn't it our right to ask and expect that the bill for this massive public loss they have caused be paid by them, not by the nation?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

July 12, 2026