© Sputnik/Igor ZaremboS-400 missile defense system
According to the
Yeni Safak newspaper, a US delegation has tried to convince Turkey to give up on purchasing the Russian missile systems during the visit to Ankara earlier this week. However, the Turkish authorities reportedly
rejected the offer since it did not include a discount on the price set or a transfer of technology.The Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday that the
United States had submitted a proposal to sell Patriot missile systems to Ankara. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on December 18 the US State Department had approved a possible sale to Turkey of
80 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T), 60 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles and other related equipment for an estimated cost of $3.5 billion.Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 19 that there was no connection between the possible acquisition by Turkey of the US Patriot missile systems and the purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense systems, stressing that Moscow and Ankara will continue implementing the contract on S-400 deliveries.
The S-400 is a next-generation mobile missile system which can carry three different types of missiles capable of destroying a variety of aerial targets at a short-to-extremely-long range, from reconnaissance aircraft to ballistic missiles.
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The Turkish government, which had been long trying to acquire the Patriots, got frustrated with the US for not selling them the missiles "when they were needed the most."
In 2017, Ankara signed a contract with Russia to buy the more advanced S-400 air defense systems. Their installation is expected to begin in Turkey in October this year.
The move caused outrage in the US as Washington claimed that the use of Russian hardware by a NATO state like Turkey endangers the whole bloc. The US Congress delayed the shipment of 100 F-35 fighter jets to Turkey in retaliation.
However, Ankara has been reluctant to give in to the American pressure. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that the S-400 purchase was a "done deal" and that his country didn't need anybody's permission to strike deals essential for its security.
When asked about the Patriot talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated that there were no plans to cancel the S-400 agreement with Moscow.
"The purchase of the S-400 is to fulfill our country's urgent and short-term security needs. We will take the necessary measures so that this system can be used independently and will not harm F-35 and NATO systems. We are continuing our contacts with US authorities who are also sensitive about this issue," Cavusoglu said, as cited by Yeni Safak.
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