MOSCOW, July 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Kremlin said Friday it was discussing whether to let Turkey sell off its Russian-made S-400 missile systems, amid reports Ankara planned to offload them in exchange for Washington granting access to US-made F-35 fighter jets.

NATO member Turkey has been blocked from Washington's F-35 programme since 2019, when Ankara received its first deliveries of Russian-made S-400 air defence batteries -- a weapons system the United States had explicitly warned it against purchasing.

A columnist with Turkey's pro-government Hurriyet newspaper reported Friday that Ankara had re-sold the S-400 systems to a country in the Gulf, without citing a source.

"We have had contacts with the Turkish side on this matter, and we will continue our contacts with the Turkish side on this issue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing, when asked by AFP about the report.

Turkey bought the S-400 air defence systems from Russia in 2017, during a time of frayed relations between Ankara and Washington over the war in Syria and other issues.

The move drew criticism from other NATO members and resulted in the United States sanctioning Turkey under its counter-enemy CAATSA act, blocking Turkey from procuring US-made F-35s that it had already paid for.

During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said he "would consider" inviting Turkey back into the F-35 programme.

"We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey's been -- in many ways -- much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal," Trump said, before adding later: "We're gonna be taking the sanctions off."

Turkey requires Russia's consent to re-sell the S-400s, however, as it does not have a re-export license.