Russia Says Turkey May Buy More of Its S-400 Systems: Interfax
Russia Says Turkey May Buy More of Its S-400 Systems: Interfax
(Bloomberg) -- Turkey is weighing whether to buy more of the S-400 missiles that have caused a feud with the Trump administration, according to the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.
Moscow is also ready to ship its Su-35 fighter jets to Turkey, the Russian official, Dmitry Shugaev, told the Russian Interfax news agency in Dubai. Turkish officials weren’t immediately available for comment outside regular working hours.
The U.S. has been considering sanctions against Turkey after Erdogan took delivery of a first Russian S-400 system earlier this year. It so far has suspended Ankara’s participation in its F-35 stealth fighter program, both as a developer and a purchaser.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out scrapping an already purchased S-400 system at a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week. He cited Turkey’s reliance on Russian gas supplies and income from its tourists as reasons.
The S-400 was designed to shoot down U.S. and allied aircraft at greater ranges and altitudes than older systems. American officials are concerned that sensitive technology in the F-35 fighter plane designed to evade such a system could be compromised and used to improve the S-400 system if NATO-member Turkey has both.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ilya Khrennikov in Moscow at ikhrennikov@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Bruce Stanley
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