Türkiye likely to buy Russian Su-35 and Su-57 fighters
(Baonghean.vn) - The Turkish President added that this decision could be made after he heard the US's final view on Türkiye's ability to participate in the F-35 program.
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| Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: TASS |
Russian news agency TASS quoted a source from CNN Türkiye on August 29 saying that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed that Türkiye could buy Russian-made Su-35 and Su-57 fighter jets instead of US-made F-35 fighter jets.
“Why not? We don’t come here (to the MAKS air show near Moscow) without achieving anything,” Erdogan said when asked if Türkiye was considering Russian-made fighter jets as an alternative to US aircraft.
The Turkish president added that the decision would be made after he learned the final US position on Türkiye's participation in the F-35 program during a phone call with US President Donald Trump.
The head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugayev, told reporters on the sidelines of the MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Salon on August 28 that Moscow and Ankara are in talks on the delivery of Russian electronic warfare systems, as well as Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-57 fighter jets. According to Shugayev, Ankara is interested in purchasing Russian aircraft in case Türkiye is suspended from the F-35 program.
Previously, on August 27, the Turkish President learned about Russia's 5th generation fighter Sukhoi Su-57 at MAKS.