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Ankara in quiet negotiations to buy Russian Su-35 fighter jets

Following Ankara's expulsion from the F-35 program, Turkish officials are looking to Moscow to upgrade Turkey's aging warplane fleet with Russian-made Su-35 jets.
A Sukhoi SU-35 fighter aircraft participates in a flying display during the 50th Paris Air Show at the Le Bourget airport near Paris, June 23, 2013.  REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol (FRANCE - Tags: BUSINESS TRANSPORT MILITARY) - GM1E96N1SN701

Turkish-Russian relations are entering a new stage as they prepare to start joint patrols of a strip 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside northeastern Syria Friday following Ankara’s incursion into the region this month to expel US-backed Kurdish forces.

As the two nations coordinate operations on the ground, negotiations are taking place between state officials over Ankara’s possible purchase of Russian-made Su-35 warplanes. Turkish President Recep Erdogan expressed interest in the jets following Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems in July, which riled long-time NATO allies and may result with sanctions for violating regulations meant to deter purchases of Russian military technology.

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