Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he will consider buying a second Russian missile system despite strong objections from the US. Erdogan said in an interview to US broadcaster CBS News that Turkey would have to decide for itself about its defense system. He said in an interview this week that Turkey was not given the option to buy US-made Patriot missiles and that the US did not provide F-35 aircraft despite a $1.4 billion payment.
NATO member Turkey was pulled out of the F-35 program after purchasing a Russian-made S-400 missile defense system. The US strongly opposes the use of Russian systems within NATO. It says it is a threat to the F-35, while Turkey says the S-400 can be used independently without being integrated into the NATO system and therefore poses no risk.
The US also imposed sanctions on Turkey over this purchase under a 2017 law aimed at reducing Russian influence. Erdogan, when asked whether he would buy more S-400s, said, “Of course, yes.” Erdogan will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 29.
