Russia reveals identity of customers 'lining up' to buy weapons
(Baonghean.vn) - According to Sputnik, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation revealed on March 16 that the country signed arms contracts worth 17 billion USD with foreign customers in 2019, expanding the portfolio with military agreements with African countries with a total value of 1 billion USD.
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| Russia's S-400 air defense missile system. Photo: Sputnik |
According to Dmitry Shugaev, director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Türkiye was one of the five largest importers of Russian weapons in 2019. Mr. Shugaev also named India, China and Egypt as the countries that bought the most significant quantities of weapons from Moscow.
The director added that Russia and Türkiye have resolved almost all outstanding issues related to the delivery of additional Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. Türkiye received the first batch of these systems last summer.
The US has demanded that Türkiye cancel any S-400 deal with Russia, saying it wants Ankara to buy the US-made Patriot air defence system instead. The US has also threatened to delay or cancel any delivery of its fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Defense systems are a key part of Russia’s military cooperation with China and India. Russia plans to complete the delivery of S-400s to China by the end of this year under a 2014 contract, which reportedly includes six regimental sets worth more than $3 billion. Moscow also signed a $5 billion contract with New Delhi in October 2018 for the delivery of five S-400s.
The Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet is another important aspect of Russia's military relations, with China being the first customer, while Ankara, New Delhi and Cairo are all potential buyers of the fighter jet.
