Turkey's bid to dump its S-400s and regain the F-35 puts Algeria, Egypt and other African military powers in the spotlight

Turkey’s effort to offload its Russian-made S-400 air-defence systems and regain access to US F-35 fighter jets is drawing fresh attention to Algeria, Egypt and other African military powers caught between Washington and Moscow’s competing defence networks.

The Kremlin has confirmed that Moscow is discussing the future of Turkey’s Russian-made S-400 air-defence systems after Turkish media reported that Ankara could transfer them to an unnamed Gulf country.

“This is an extremely sensitive issue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Russia would continue its contacts with the Turkish government.

Further reports have identified the United Arab Emirates as a possible destination, although neither Ankara nor Abu Dhabi has confirmed negotiations.

For now, the Gulf remains a more plausible destination than Africa because no government on the continent has been publicly linked to the talks.