Russian S-400s will be delivered to Turkey next month - Erdogan
  • WORLD

  • 23:22 12 June 2019

Russian S-400s will be delivered to Turkey next month - Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that the Russian S-400 air defence systems will be delivered to Turkey in July, ONA reports quoting sputniknews. 

The Turkish leader emphasised that Ankara has already purchased the weapons from Moscow. 

Erdogan's statement follows an earlier remark made by acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan that Ankara was notified about a potential ban on obtaining the F-35 fighter jets it had already purchased if it proceeded with the S-400 deal.

Russia and Turkey penned a $2.5-billion contract for the delivery of four battalion sets-worth of S-400s to Ankara in late 2017. Washington issued a counteroffer, offering Turkey a $3.5-billion contract for a contingent of Patriot PAC-3s. Turkish officials have indicated that negotiations on the Patriot proposal are continuing, but have stressed that Ankara would not cancel the S-400 deal for the US-made systems.

It was reported earlier that the first S-400s would reach Turkish soil in July; the air defence system acquisition will make Turkey the fourth country after Russia, Belarus and China to own the weapon.

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