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.
US redoubles threat to Turkey over purchase of Russian missile system
Acting US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that the United States had not changed its position on Turkey’s role in the F-35 programme if they accepted the Russian missile defence system and he would be speaking with his Turkish counterpart later in the day.
Esper had personally told Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar in Brussels on June 26 that Turkey could not have both the S-400 and the F-35 planes.
“We are aware of Turkey taking delivery of the S-400, our position regarding the F-35 has not changed and I will speak with my Turkish counterpart Minister Akar this afternoon,” Esper said at the Pentagon. “There will be more to follow after that conversation.”
The deal with Russia has also raised concerns that Turkey is drifting closer to Moscow’s sphere of influence.
“We are concerned about the potential consequences of Turkey’s decision to acquire the S-400 system,” a Nato official said, following repeated warnings that the Russian system is incompatible with allied weapons.
Turkey has refused to bow to US pressure, insisting that choosing which defence equipment to purchase is a matter of national sovereignty.
“We’ve always said regarding the S-400s that it’s an agreement that has been finalised and the process continues to progress,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. “There’s no problem and the process will continue in a healthy way going forward.”
Turkey has said it was forced to buy the S-400s because Washington refused to supply the American-made Patriot systems to Ankara.
Kremlin condemns US ultimatum to Turkey over missile deal
US officials have since encouraged Turkey to buy the Patriot missile defence system instead of the S-400s. But Turkey said the offer does not meet its requirements, including possible future joint production.
The US has already stopped training Turkish pilots on the F-35, and given Ankara until the end of July to get its personnel out of the US.
Turkey maintains that it has fulfilled all of its financial obligations concerning the F-35 programme and cannot be excluded from the project.
Turkey has refused to say where it intends to deploy the S-400. Turkish media reports have said it could take until October for the system to be fully operational.
Additional reporting by Reuters
