Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday that Turkey “will not turn back from the Russian S-400 issue,” Reuters reported. Turkey has expressed its will to negotiate a solution, but this has so far been rebuffed by Washington.
The US opposes the purchase of the defense systems which it says threaten the American F-35 fighter jets, and which are not suited to work in tandem with NATO’s systems. Turkey, in turn, has stated that the purchase is driven by necessity.
In December, the Trump Administration placed sanctions on Ankara in response to the purchase, and Turkey has been removed from the US F-35 program. Turkey has voiced its wish for improved relations with the new American administration, but President Joe Biden has so far continued his predecessor’s tough approach toward its NATO ally.