Türkiye wants to buy both Russian S-400 and American Patriot missiles.
Türkiye's purchase of Russian S-400 missiles may not be affected by the terms of its agreement to sell US Patriot missiles.
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This missile launcher is part of the Patriot PAC-3 air defense system manufactured by the United States. Photo:Military Edge. |
Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Volkan Bozkir announced on March 28 that the contract to purchase the S-400 long-range air defense system from Russia will still proceed, even if Ankara decides to buy additional Patriot systems from Washington.Daily Sabah.
Speaking after his visit to the US, Bozkir said that Türkiye is considering purchasing Patriot missiles from the US if the weapons meet certain requirements, such as price and technology transfer terms.
Washington had previously offered to sell the advanced Patriot missile system to Ankara in an attempt to persuade it to abandon its $2.5 billion S-400 contract, after threatening sanctions if Türkiye went ahead with the purchase agreement with Russia.
Turkish officials also revealed that the US wants to use the F-35 stealth fighter deal to pressure Ankara into buying Patriot missiles. "The US cannot cancel the F-35 contract if we don't buy Patriots. Nor is there any question of Washington selling Patriots while Ankara doesn't buy S-400s," Bozkir stated.
Analysts believe Ankara is determined to pursue the S-400 purchase because its air force wants to quickly restore its air control capabilities, which have been severely weakened after the 2016 military coup. Meanwhile, the US...They argue that the S-400 missile would pose a significant security threat to NATO if it were integrated into Türkiye's air defense network.
