TSAMTO, September 24. Despite the constant pressure from the United States on the issue of acquiring Russian S-400 air defense systems, the deal with Russia will not be revised. This was stated by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to RIA Novosti.
"Let the United States first correct its mistake in not selling us F-35 fighters under the pretext of the S-400. The constant pressure on us because of the S-400 is unacceptable, we cannot agree with this. The deal with the Russian Federation is not subject to revision, there is no way back," Erdogan told Turkish journalists during a visit to the United States. He is quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper.
As RIA Novosti reminds, Russia and Turkey signed a contract for a regimental set of S-400 air defense systems in 2017, deliveries of air defense systems to the Turkish side were carried out in the summer-autumn of 2019. The deal caused a crisis in Turkey's relations with the United States: Washington demanded to purchase American Patriot complexes in return, threatening to delay or even cancel the sale of the latest F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, as well as impose sanctions in accordance with CAATSA (the law "On Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions").
Ankara is not going to abandon the S-400. Moreover, Erdogan said at the end of August that he had no doubts about buying a second regimental set of S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
