Turkey is negotiating the purchase of the second batch of the S-400 air defense systems and their joint production with Russia despite the US sanctions, a high-ranking defense official said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd March, 2021) Turkey is negotiating the purchase of the second batch of the S-400 air defense systems and their joint production with Russia despite the US sanctions, a high-ranking defense official said on Wednesday.
In December 2020, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey, its NATO ally, over the deployment of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. According to the US' claims, the S-400s were incompatible with the NATO technology and presented a threat to the alliance. The sanctions targeted the Turkish weapon procurement sector.
"There has been no noticeable impact of the sanctions. They are unjust, and the US should remedy the issue. We have reiterated many times that Turkey does not listen to the language of sanctions. We continue to negotiate with Russia the possibility of joint production of S-400," Ismail Demir, president of Defense Industries, the defense ministry's agency in charge of military technology supplies, stated in an appearance on broadcaster NTV.
Deployment of the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems has been a flashpoint of tensions in the US-Turkey relations since July 2019. Washington has demanded that Turkey abandon the deal in favor of US Patriot systems, threatening to cancel the contract for F-35 fighter jets with Turkey, as well as to impose sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Ankara refused to make concessions and has continued negotiations regarding the additional package of Russia's S-400s.
