Moscow is awaiting Ankara’s final decision on the delivery of the second batch of Russia’s S-400 missile defense systems, the head of the Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugayev, said on June 2.
“Taking into consideration restrictions related to the global pandemic, I would say making forecasts on the time frame of signing this contract is meaningless. However, dialogue on the deliveries of the second regimental batch of the S-400 are on quite an advanced stage, and we await the final decision of the Turkish side”, he said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster Ecoturk TV, Sputnik reported.
Shugayev also noted that Turkey has ordered $1 billion worth of Russian military equipment.
S-400 activation exposes Turkey to ‘very significant possibility’ of sanctions, says US envoy
Ankara has been at odds with its NATO ally the U.S. since it struck a deal to buy the Russian-made S-400 air defence systems. The U.S. attempted to put pressure on its ally and force Turkey to cancel the deal; however, Ankara refused to make concessions and received the first deliveries from Russia in 2019.
According to Turkish presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın, the government is committed “in principle” to its plans to activate the system, despite a lag caused by the COVID-19 health crisis.
Duvar