Turkey reiterates refusal to back down over Russian S-400s

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Turkey says it will not back down from its purchase of Russian S-400s

The US has threatened Turkey with sanctions over its purchase of the S-400s.

MENA

1 min read

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15 November, 2019

Turkey went forward with the purchase earlier this year [Getty]

Turkey will not back down from its decision to purchase Russian S-400 missile defense systems, a senior aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

The comments came just two days after a White House meeting between Erdogan and President Donald Trump.

While Turkish officials have insisted that Ankara will go forward with the S-400 purchase, US politicians have continued to threaten sanctions and express hopes that Erdogan's government will eventually back down.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he was hopeful the situation could be resolved.

The US booted Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet programme earlier this year over its decision to purchase the defense systems from Moscow, arguing that the S-400s risked the security of both the F-35 programme and NATO in general.

Speaking to TRT Haber, aide Ibrahim Kalin said that Turkey would continue to set up its purchased S-400 batteries.

He added that US and Turkish officials had begun work to establish the impact of the S-400s on the F-35 jets on Friday, Reuters reported.