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Russia: Deal to sell S-400 missile defence system to Turkey ‘irreversible’

May 23, 2019 at 3:27 pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) sees Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) off after they attend a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (not seen) and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (not seen) at ‘Rus Sanatorium’ following the 4th trilateral summit on Syria between Turkey – Iran – Russia, on 14 February 2019 in Sochi, Russia. [Turkish Presidency / Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Handout – Anadolu Agency]

The Kremlin announced yesterday that the deal to sell the S-400 missile defence system to Turkey is “irreversible”.

“Moscow considers the United States’ position over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian systems as negative,” Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in the capital Moscow, adding that it is not possible to accept the American positions towards Turkey with regards to the deal.

Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, announced on Tuesday that a Turkish military force had headed to Russia to begin training on the use of the S-400 military defence system.

READ: US gives Turkey two-week ultimatum to cancel S-400 deal with Russia 

In a press statement, Akar explained that Turkey is vulnerable to air and missile threats, adding that Ankara has the right to search for defensive systems to protect its citizens from these threats.

The Turkish minister explained that the Russian S-400 system is defensive and not offensive, and the purpose of buying it is to protect the country from any air or missile attack.

He added that linking the deal to the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets is incomprehensible because there is no item in the partnership contract that prohibits the purchase of the Russian systems.