France is willing to consider a possible sale of the Franco-Italian SAMP-T air-defense system to Türkiye following years of opposition, clearing the way for more substantive talks with Ankara, a report said on Monday.
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 Türkiye, although negotiations remain at an early stage.
That's according to a Reuters report that cited five sources familiar with the matter. "Before, there was a clear lack of openness, now there is openness," said one source.
The French presidency 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. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
