Turkey receives Russian S-400 missile system despite US sanctions warning
- The US has strongly urged Turkey to pull back from the deal, warning the country that it will face economic sanctions
- Turkey said it was forced to buy the S-400s because Washington refused to supply the Patriot systems to Ankara
A defence ministry statement said “the first group of equipment” of the S-400 air defence systems has reached the Murted Air Base near the capital, Ankara. The delivery of parts of the system will continue in the coming days and authorities will decide “how it will be used” once the system is made operational, Turkey’s defence industry authority said in a statement.
The Russian Federal Service for Military Cooperation, which handles arms exports, confirmed to the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency that the first shipment to Turkey was dispatched on Friday. The S-400 will be delivered “in the agreed time frame,” the service said.
The US has strongly urged Nato member Turkey to pull back from the deal – reportedly costing more than US$2 billion – warning the country that it will face economic sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if it goes ahead with the purchase. It has also said Turkey will not be allowed to participate in the programme to produce hi-tech F-35 fighter planes.