Türkiye wants to buy both Russian S-400 missiles and American Patriot

Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Volkan Bozkir said on March 28 that the contract to buy the S-400 long-range air defense system signed with Russia will still be carried out, even if Ankara decides to buy more Patriot systems from Washington, according toDaily Sabah.

Speaking after a visit to the US, Mr. Bozkir said Türkiye is considering buying Patriot missiles from the US if the weapon meets a number of requirements, such as price and technology transfer terms.

Washington has proposed selling modern Patriot systems to Ankara to persuade it to abandon the $2.5 billion S-400 deal, after threatening sanctions if Türkiye still carries out the purchase deal with Russia.

The Turkish official also revealed that the US wants to use the F-35 stealth fighter purchase agreement to pressure Ankara into buying Patriot missiles. "The US cannot cancel the F-35 contract if we do not buy Patriot. There is also no way that Washington will sell Patriot but Ankara cannot buy S-400," Mr. Bozkir declared.

Analysts say Ankara is determined to pursue the S-400 purchase contract because its air force wants to quickly restore its airspace control capacity, which was severely weakened after the military coup in 2016. Meanwhile, the USbelieves that the S-400 missile would pose a major security threat to NATO if it were integrated into Türkiye's air defense network.