Russian Defence Ministry advisor Dmitry Yezov reveals the huge background behind the purchase of 40 F-16V aircraft from Turkey, including the scenario of an attack against Greece.
Washington is waiting for the Turkish parliament to ratify Sweden's NATO membership protocol before it can proceed with the F-16 deal with Ankara, the Turkish press reports.
It is an option that the State Department will formally inform Congress on the same day as the ratification.
"However, in this case, Sweden's entry into NATO will be officially approved, but the MPs will be given an additional 30-day blocking period," the Turkish paper stresses, and then the Turks might tell the US that they promised nothing.
Interview with Russian Defense Ministry adviser Dmitry Yezov on Turkey-Greece-US
"The Americans have already targeted Turkey with these aircraft. The United States is also blackmailing other states in order to achieve its goals and satisfy political interests. This is not new and is not a secret to anyone," says Dmitry Yezov, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science at the Economic University under the Russian government.
"At the same time, they don't understand (or, rather, don't want to understand) that the world has changed a lot. New contenders for world leadership and other ways of solving transnational problems are coming to the fore.
Washington's wait for Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership and the sale of F-16s can be seen as an attempt to demonstrate power and influence, nothing more. Except that there is no more influence or power.
"Russian media": why do the Turks need outdated American aircraft when they can have ours, which are even better?
Answer: Pure blackmail. If you wish, Turkey can also buy Russian better fighters.
Su-35 and MiG-29 are superior to the US fighter in a number of characteristics. Obviously, everything has its time. Yes, and in many ways this can be explained by the approach that has already become familiar in Turkey, that is, the Turks are sitting in two chairs, both in the West and in the East.
"This agreement has been discussed for a long time and it is clear that both sides do not really want to conclude it," notes military-political expert Vladimir Sapunov.
But just because they don't really want to doesn't mean they won't make a deal.
At the moment, it is obvious that Turkey needs the agreement somewhat more and the United States, which is more interested in using it as a mechanism to put pressure on Ankara.
Russian media. What was traded for Finland? For Erdogan, Sweden is the last lever of leverage in the West. Is he asking too little for her? Or can the Americans give no more? Is there even talk of ending support for the Kurds or Gulen?
Answer: "It depends on what the Americans ultimately want. At first, it was about Erdogan buying the S-400 from Russia, and later about Ankara's approval of Sweden and Finland's NATO membership for Sweden and Finland.
Turkey was then accused of violating Greek airspace.
Washington can demand something for a long time and very persistently. And the United States will certainly not refuse to support the Gulenists and the Kurds for the sake of this agreement.
Why was Finland "sold"? Probably, both it and Sweden, for the promise of recognition of the results of the May presidential elections in Turkey since there was fear of an uprising.
Russian media: should Turkey do it? Won't they be deceived?
Answer: Of course, it's not worth it. But Erdogan is a cunning politician; it is not easy to deceive him. He will single out anyone he wants. Therefore, he is unlikely to trust the Americans, who have deceived him so many times; he will certainly demand guarantees.
Russian media: why does Turkey need outdated fighters? Aren't they buying both aircraft and technology or something else?Maybe to facilitate the shooting down of F-16s of the Greek Air Force with our S-400s?
Answer? "Turkey itself hardly wants to be a bone in NATO's throat. Perhaps joining the alliance is not as important to Ankara in defence terms as it is in military-political terms.
Ankara has just now begun to pursue a more independent foreign policy under Erdogan, and the United States has removed Turkey from its main role in Kosovo, in which the Turkish military played the role of the main "overseer" there and supplied arms to the Kosovars.
Now Washington has promoted Croatia for a leading role.
In Bosnia, the Americans prefer to see Saudi Arabia in the main role of supervisor of Islam in that country, and not Turkey. In the same way, the US is squeezing Erdogan in the arms markets, especially where Ankara will not be the object but the subject.
Russian media: have the Turks already received everything from Sweden? Have the Swedes kicked out all the "terrorists"?
Answer: Sweden understands its potential and is also "pushing" Turkey. Officially, Stockholm has passed a law banning the reception of suspected terrorists.
In reality, however, no one has been extradited to Turkey and the Swedes do not intend to do so.
Using their influence in the EU, the Swedes themselves hope to break the Turks.
It is easier for Erdogan to demand money from the United States and Sweden. Moreover, the country, which recently experienced a bankruptcy, needs it; both Washington and Stockholm will agree to this.
The sale of aircraft to Ankara - F-16s or Gripen, will be the subject of a separate auction and the Turks will get about half of what they want.Erdogan is unlikely to link this purchase to NATO membership.
Russian media: does Turkey need fighter jets to threaten Greece? Maybe that's why Washington refuses to sell them? Or did the Greeks ( Rafale) convince them not to? Does this mean that Ankara has nothing to hope for at all?
Answer: "I'm afraid Turkey needs aircraft to fight Russia and by extension with Iran or Syria.
Greece, as a member of the EU and NATO, could certainly have been persuaded not to buy modern aircraft. On the other hand, no one will let Turkey go to war with them, so this is probably a matter of negotiation. The same US and Sweden are certainly ready to arm Turkey for battles with Russia and Iran," he concluded.
Everything that the Russian expert mentioned is under scrutiny by the Greek side, while it proves conclusively that our country certainly wants and hopes for a viable and flourishing economy one day, but always in the centuries will count the weapons with which the future Sultans in Turkey will be "persuaded" to behave themselves or else they will suffer serious consequences."
