Erdogan says Turkey will purchase S-400 missile system

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey continues to make payments under a deal with Russia to purchase advanced S-400 air defense missile systems, which Washington has warned could put Ankara at risk of US sanctions.

“The S-400 holds an important place in our talks. The United States' arguments are very wrong. We finished the S-400 process and our payments continue,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Friday.

He emphasized that the United States had not presented the same terms when it offered to sell Patriot missiles.

Turkey’s planned purchase of the Russian system has put it at odds with NATO ally the United States. Earlier this week, Washington halted delivery to Turkey of equipment related to the stealth F-35 fighter aircraft because of the missile defense disagreement.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters in Moscow on Friday that the delivery of S-400 systems from Russia to Turkey may be on the agenda in a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart next week.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that the purchase is a “done deal” and cannot be canceled.

“We have told them (Americans) I don't know how many months ago or years ago that it's a done deal, so we cannot cancel it,” Cavusoglu said at a news conference on the sidelines of a visit to the United States.

He said Turkey would like to purchase the Patriot systems, but it would not back out of its deal with Russia.

Moscow and Ankara finalized an agreement on the delivery of the S-400 in December 2017.

Back in April 2018, Erdogan and Putin said in Ankara that they had agreed to expedite the delivery of the S-400. At the time, it was said that the delivery could be made between late 2019 and early 2020.

A number of NATO member states have criticized Turkey for its planned purchase of the S-400, arguing the missile batteries are not compatible with those of the military alliance.

The S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India.