ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s position on its acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defence systems is unchanged and the matter is a “done deal”, President Tayyip Erdogan was cited as saying on Friday, adding talks with Washington on new F-16 jets and kits were going well.
The United States imposed sanctions on NATO member Turkey’s defence industry in December 2020 over the S-400s and expelled Ankara from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme, where it was a manufacturer and buyer. Ankara says the moves are unjust.
Broadcaster Haberturk cited Erdogan as telling reporters on a return flight from a NATO summit in Brussels that he hoped positive talks on purchasing new F-16 jets and modernisation kits from Washington would yield results soon.
He also dismissed reports that U.S. officials had informally raised with Turkey the unlikely possibility of sending the S-400 systems to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, saying “all they do is cause commotion” in reference to Washington.
Erdogan said he also discussed the possibility of buying SAMP-T missile defence systems from the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the summit.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler)
