Turkey has reportedly informed Russia that it wants talks on returning to the Kremlin the S-400 advanced missile defence systems that got it kicked out of the US-led development and procurement programme for the F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter jet.

Bloomberg on December 17 reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on December 12 raised the issue directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan. The news service’s report cited people familiar with the matter.

When Nato member Turkey acquired the S-400s in 2019, the move was made against Washington’s wishes. US defence officials said the systems posed a security risk to military hardware used by Nato countries, including the F-35, a stealth aircraft. Until the acquisition, Turkey was poised to receive a first delivery of F-35 aircraft, but the provision was frozen and, to Ankara’s frustration, it remains frozen, at a time when Greece, a regional arch-rival of Turkey, is progressing towards acquiring F-35s and Israel is using a large fleet of the aircraft to help guarantee its Middle East air superiority.

Turkiye Today on December 17 said the Bloomberg report directly contradicts statements Turkish military sources provided to it on December 9, when they categorically stated that transferring the S-400s to another country was "not on the table" under any circumstances.

US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack suggested earlier this month that he expected a resolution to the S-400 issue within the next year. His comments came despite Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu saying in late November that he does not believe the US would agree to Turkey’s request to acquire F-35s.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that the meeting in Turkmen capital Ashgabat between Putin and Erdogan ran significantly over its scheduled time, stretching to around 90 minutes.

Peskov said the extended duration was due to the delicate nature of topics that came under discussion.

The Kremlin has not confirmed receiving any formal request from Turkey to take back the S-400s.

Peskov added that Putin and Erdogan exchanged reciprocal invitations for visits during their encounter.