President Tayyip Erdogan said the delivery of Russian S-400 missile defense systems may be brought forward from July, the Sabah newspaper reported on Wednesday, sticking to a purchase which has put Turkey at odds with NATO ally the United States.
The S-400s are not compatible with NATO systems and Washington says Turkey's purchase of them would compromise the security of F-35 fighter jets, which are built by Lockheed Martin Corp. Turkey is involved in F-35 production.
Erdogan told reporters on his plane while returning from a trip to Russia this week that he and his foreign minister were constantly being asked about the S-400 purchase and being pressured to abandon it.
"We answer that 'this deal is done, everything is settled'. The delivery of the S-400 missile defence system was to be in July. Maybe it can be brought forward," Erdogan said.
Turkey's Erdogan: Russian S-400s delivery may be brought forward - Sabah
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Erdogan told reporters while returning from a trip to Russia this week that he and his foreign minister were constantly being asked about the S-400 purchase and being pressured to abandon it. pic.twitter.com/6h3CnRdDL2
On Tuesday, leaders of the US Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees warned Turkey that it risked tough sanctions if it pursued plans to buy the S-400s, and they threatened further legislative action.
"By the end of the year, Turkey will have either F-35 advanced fighter aircraft on its soil or a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system. It will not have both," Republican Senators Jim Risch and Jim Inhofe and Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Jack Reed said in a New York Times opinion column.