Turkey will discuss the supply of the second regiment of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in talks with Russia at the end of January, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
"Our steps on national defense will not be determined by any country; they depend entirely on our own decisions. The issue of the first S-400 regiment has been resolved, now the work continues on the issue of the second batch. We will have talks with Russia at the end of the month, and among other topics, we will definitely discuss it as well," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. The broadcast was made on Twitter of the Turkish leader.
He added that after new US President Joe Biden takes office, discussions on problems related to the S-400 will continue with the new US leadership.
"I don't know what Biden will say, but we will not take any approvals from anyone anyway," the Turkish leader said.
Deliveries of Russia's latest S-400 air defense systems, which caused a crisis in Turkey's relations with the United States, began in mid-July 2019. Washington demanded to back out of the deal and buy American Patriot systems in return, threatening to delay or cancel the sale of the latest F-35 fighter jets to Turkey altogether, as well as impose sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).
Ankara refused to make concessions and continued negotiations on an additional batch of S-400s. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, the US sanctions against Turkey over the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems demonstrate once again Washington's incapacity for fair competition.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Zuma \ TASS
Based on materials from RIA Novosti