Turkey expects to receive Russian S-400 missile defense systems in the near future despite pressure from the United States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2018) Turkey expects to receive Russian S-400 missile defense systems in the near future despite pressure from the United States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
"When missiles from Syria fell on our territory, our citizens died and were injured, our [NATO] partners began to withdraw the missile defense systems deployed in Turkey. We need such systems, but they refused to sell them to us. And when we tried to solve this issue on our own, they put obstacles. Turkey needs S-400s, we have made a decision on this agreement. I hope that we will receive these systems in the near future," Erdogan said, as aired by the NTV broadcaster.
The Turkish president also criticized Washington over attempts to link supplies of S-400 systems to deliveries of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
"They are even attempting to stop the deliveries that have been paid for. We have already paid $900 million. They should supply 120 F-35 jets to us," Erdogan said.
In June, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell said that Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 anti-missile systems could result in the withholding of the F-35 jets transfer. The loan agreement between Russia and Turkey was signed in December 2017. On August 13, US President Donald Trump signed the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA) into law. The act envisages barring the transfer of F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
In December 2017, Russia and Turkey signed a loan agreement to supply S-400s to Ankara. According to a statement by the Turkish defense industry secretariat, two S-400 batteries will be operated and serviced by the Turkish military.
