Turkey may take delivery of Russian S-400s earlier: Erdogan
Thursday, 11 April 2019
ANKARA, Apr 10 (AFP): President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the delivery of Turkey's disputed Russian S-400 missile defence systems could be earlier than initially planned, Hurriyet daily reported on Wednesday.
Ankara's purchase of the S-400s risks US sanctions and has further strained already tense relations with Washington.
US officials are concerned over the incompatibility of the S-400s with NATO military hardware as well as Ankara's increasingly close relationship with Russia.
"The S-400 missile defence system was to be delivered in July, maybe we will bring this forward," Erdogan told Turkish journalists on board his plane after a Russia visit, the newspaper said.
Erdogan was in Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the S-400 purchase and joint coordination in Syria on the agenda.