EN
TR
NATO’s Stance on the S-400 Dispute: From Being Unconcerned to Concerns and Solution-Seeking Attempts
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
Supporting Institution
No financial support was received for the conduct of the research.
Ethical Statement
This paper complies with Research and Publication Ethics, has no conflict of interest to declare, and has received no financial support. The article has been checked for spelling and plagiarism/similarity. The article was evaluated by "at least two external referees" and "double blinding" method. The author sent a signed "Copyright Transfer Form" to the journal. There is no need to obtain ethical permission for the current study as per the legislation. The "Declaration Form Regarding No Ethics Permission Required" was sent to the journal by the author on this subject. The author contributed to all sections and stages of the study alone.
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
International Politics , European Studies , Regional Studies , Turkish Foreign Policy , International Security , International Institutions
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Murat Poyraz
*
0000-0002-8352-0241
Türkiye
Publication Date
December 31, 2025
Submission Date
August 8, 2025
Acceptance Date
December 23, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 1970 Volume: 8 Number: 4