Turkey confirmed that, despite US pressure, there will be no changes in the agreement with Russia on the supply of Russian S-400 air defence missile systems, Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko told reporters Friday after meeting with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan
“He said that, despite the unprecedented pressure, as president, he can say that there will be no changes here and the agreements will be carried out,” Matviyenko said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier this day that Turkey was ready to receive the S-400 air defence complexes that it is buying from Russia as soon as Moscow implements the deliveries.
The Russian-Turkish cooperation on S-400 missile systems has been a matter of concern for the United States, which opposes Turkey’s acquisition of the systems. Washington cited security concerns and the inability of integration between S-400 and NATO’s air defence systems as a reason for its opposition to the purchase.
The US also threatened to halt the support for F-35 jets if Ankara proceeds with the purchase of S-400s. Ankara stressed on multiple occasions that S-400s do not threaten US-manufactured F-35s in any manner, underlining that the purchase of the systems was Turkey’s sovereign affair unrelated to the security of the alliance.
Russia and Turkey signed a $2.5 billion loan agreement for the shipment of a total of four batteries of S-400 systems in December 2017. The first shipment of S-400 air defence systems is expected to be delivered to Ankara in July 2019.
Source: Sputnik
