S-400 missile system

Turkey's defense minister said it was preparing for potential U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, even while he said there was some improvement in talks with the United States over buying F-35 fighter jets.

The Kremlin on Wednesday condemned as unacceptable an alleged US ultimatum to Turkey designed to force it to cancel a deal to buy Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and purchase US Patriot missile systems instead.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said he sees an improvement in talks with the United States over the purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems and US F-35 fighter jets, but added that Ankara was also preparing for potential US sanctions.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said he sees an improvement in talks with the United States over the purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems and U.S. F-35 fighter jets.

Turkey's decision to procure S-400 air defense systems from Russia is not a shift of the axis of the country, a senior ruling party official has said, underlining that it has to increase its defense capabilities in a highly unstable neighborhood.

Turkey is trying to fulfill its commitments and responsibilities both on S-400 air defense system and F-35 fighter jet, the country's defense minister said on May 17.

Senior Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives again today called on Turkey to cancel its planned acquisition of a Russian S-400 missile defense system, the latest effort by U.S. lawmakers to discourage Ankara from pursuing the deal.

Turkish officials have once again refuted the United States' claims that the deployment of Russian S-400 air defense systems on the Turkish soils together with the U.S. F-35 aircraft would create a security breach. They repeated their calls for setting up a joint committee to analyze both sides' technical views regarding the matter.

Turkey is discussing with the United States setting up a working group to assess the impact of its purchase of Russian missile defences systems, but will not delay their delivery, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Implementation of the deal for the delivery of Russia's S-400 air defense system to Turkey is in full swing despite U.S. pressure, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said on May 14.