NATO’s Stance on the S-400 Dispute: From Being Unconcerned to Concerns and Solution-Seeking Attempts

Authors : Murat Poyraz

Pages : 990-1004

Doi:10.33712/mana.1761272

View : 65 | Download : 613

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In 2017, NATO ally Türkiye unsurprisingly signed what Turkish President Erdoğan described as “the most important agreement in our history” with Moscow, to procure sophisticated S-400 surface-to-air defence systems. Since the very beginning, the S-400 deal with Russia has remained a point of dispute with its strategic partner, the US. The Alliance, for its part, faced significant military and security implications arising from the S-400 dispute. This article hence aims to explore, in-depth, the stance of NATO on the relevant dispute from its outset to the present day, which is the first time that such an exercise has arguably been attempted. In doing so, it also seeks to assess whether NATO’s stance on the dispute has shifted and, if so, identify the factors behind this change. This aspect is particularly significant, as several earlier accounts portrayed the Western security alliance as being concerned about Türkiye’s S-400 choice. Tracing the historical evolution of the dispute and adopting qualitative document analysis of NATO’s official communiqués, speeches, press conferences, media reports, and secondary sources, this research challenges that narrative by offering a distinct perspective. It further finds that NATO changed its earlier stance on Türkiye’s S-400 acquisition, a shift largely driven by U.S. actions.
Keywords : S-400 Anlaşmazlığı, NATO, Türkiye, ABD, Rusya

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