Turkish leader set to push French counterpart on European missile system partnership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to urge French President Emmanuel Macron to drop opposition to joint production of a European missile-defence system during meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague.

Türkiye has long sought to secure European-made defense systems, and officials believe a green light from Macron for the sale of Eurosam GIE’s SAMP/T system could accelerate plans to build a national missile shield—referred to by Ankara as a “steel dome”—within the next two to three years, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

The push comes amid heightened regional tensions following the recent Israel-Iran conflict. Erdoğan has ordered increased production of medium- and long-range missiles and, at the summit, intends to emphasise Türkiye’s central role in NATO’s defense posture. As the alliance’s second-largest military, Turkish officials say Erdoğan will stress the importance of unrestricted cooperation in the defence sector.

“He wants Macron and other leaders he’s meeting at the summit in The Hague to acknowledge Türkiye’s value for the security of the continent as NATO’s second-largest army, and that unrestricted defence-industry cooperation is key to improving deterrence,” the officials said.

Macron previously linked Turkish access to the SAMP/T system to Ankara clarifying its objectives in Syria. More recently, Türkiye’s growing diplomatic and military activity in Africa has emerged as another source of friction with France, whose influence in the region has declined. Macron has also taken Greece and Cyprus’s side in maritime disputes with Türkiye in the eastern Mediterranean.

Türkiye, meanwhile, is seeking broader NATO backing for co-developing air-defence weapons, which would support its ambitions for a robust domestic defense industry. A 2018 accord between Türkiye and Eurosam—a French-Italian joint venture—laid the groundwork for missile-defence collaboration. Turkish officials note that Italy has expressed no objections to advancing the project. 

Tensions between Türkiye and NATO, particularly the US, escalated following Ankara’s 2017 acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 air-defence system. Washington has warned that deploying the S-400 could allow Russia to gather intelligence on the US fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter.

Türkiye argues the S-400 purchase was a necessity after its allies failed to meet its defence requirements on acceptable terms. Officials point to the US refusal to include technology transfer in a proposed Patriot missile deal as a key reason for turning to Russia. Although the S-400 remains inactive, Türkiye has resisted calls to abandon it or trade it for a US-made system. 

Turkish officials said Erdoğan planned to reassure US President Donald Trump during their meeting that the S-400 would be used in a restricted manner—an attempt to convince Washington to lift its embargo on F-35 sales to Türkiye. 

“Erdogan was expected to provide assurances the S-400 would only be used in a restricted way to try to persuade US President Donald Trump to lift a ban on the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye when they met,” the officials said.

By Naila Huseynova