Washington. September 27. INTERFAX-AVN-Ankara intends to buy another batch of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with CBS.
"In the future, no one will be able to interfere in the sphere of what defense systems we are acquiring, from which country at what level. No one can interfere with this. Only we make such decisions, " Erdogan said.
"Of course, of course, yes," he replied in the affirmative to a clarifying question whether Turkey intends to purchase another batch of Russian S-400s.
The United States has repeatedly expressed concern about Turkey's acquisition of the S-400, because it believed that Russia could use these systems to obtain information about the fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bombers. In addition, the Pentagon stated that Turkey should return the S-400 to Russia if Ankara wants to receive Patriot missile systems from the United States.
Washington excluded Ankara from the F-35A production program immediately after Turkey acquired the S-400.
At the end of August, Erdogan said that Ankara was ready to purchase a second batch of S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
On August 25, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugaev, said that negotiations with Turkey on a new contract for the S-400 are in the final stage. Earlier in the day, the head of Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, said that a contract for the supply of an additional batch of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey could be signed this year.
As Interfax reported, Turkey bought four divisions of S-400 air defense systems from Russia (Almaz-Antey concern) worth $2.5 billion. On October 23, 2019, Rosoboronexport announced that Russia had fulfilled this contract ahead of schedule by supplying Turkey with all elements of the S-400 systems, including missiles. The head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, said earlier that Turkey had paid for the S-400.