France is open to a possible sale of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air-defense system to Turkey after years of political opposition, according to five sources familiar with the matter, paving the way for more substantive talks with Ankara.
Four sources said the shift in position followed talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on June 25 ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Turkey, although negotiations remain at an early stage.
“Before, there was a clear lack of openness, now there is openness,” said one source familiar with the discussions.
The French presidency, when sent a number of questions for this article, said it did not confirm the information, pointing to “significant inaccuracies.” It did not say what the inaccuracies were and declined to explain them.
France’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment and referred to the French presidency, as did the Defense Ministry. Turkey’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
