Turkey Signals Preference to Retain Russian S-400s in F-35 Row
- Refusal to jettison Russian planes strains ties with US
- US approved the sale of F-35s to Turkey’s rival Greece
A Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile launching system.
Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
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Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday signaled a preference to retain Russian air defenses which Washington wants Ankara to ditch if it wants to buy F-35 fighter jets.
Fidan’s remarks during an interview with AHaber television came just a week after US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland paid a visit to Turkey and said the US may discuss Turkey’s return to the F-35 fighter jet “family” if the spat over Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 missiles is resolved. Washington has sanctioned Turkey’s defense industry over its acquisition of the S-400s, arguing that it poses a risk to its fifth-generation F-35 warplanes.