Erdogan stresses Russia’s S-400 purchase is “done deal”
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists on a return flight from the NATO summit in Brussels on Friday that his position on the Russian defense system was unchanged, reported broadcaster Haberturk.
The US has already sanctioned the NATO member [Turkey] over purchasing the Russian missile system and removed it from the F-35 fighter jets program after threatening it for months not to buy the system.
The Turkish president was also cited as saying that the acquisition of the system is the same and the matter is a “done deal”.
Ismail Demir, head of Turkey’s Presidency of the Defense Industry (SSB), said Turkey is not thinking of abandoning the Russian missile system.
”This is not a matter of discussion for us. This issue was discussed extensively in the past, and we are continuing our cooperation with the Russian Federation,” Demir said in remarks published by Izvestia, a daily newspaper in Russia.
Reuters, last week, reported the US had informally raised with Turkey the far-fetched possibility of sending S-400 systems to Ukraine. It also suggested that in exchange the US would drop the imposed sanctions and reopen the F-35 fighter jets deal.
On his side, Erdogan denied on Friday that the idea had been raised and said, “All they do is cause commotion,” referring to Washington.
Nevertheless, the Turkish president pointed out that talks with Washington on buying new F-16 jets and kits were going well and hoped they would yield results soon.
Erdogan said he also discussed the possibility of buying SAMP-T missile defense systems from the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the summit.