Erdogan: Turkey Will Not Ask US for Permission to Receive New S-400s From Russia

Turkey will not ask the US for permission to receive new S-400 systems from Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

He added that Ankara plans to discuss the delivery of the second batch of S-400s with Moscow in late January.

"No country will determine our national defence measures, they are based on our decisions only. The issue with the first battalion of S-400 is closed, the second shipment is under discussion. At the end of the month, we will have talks with Russia and we will discuss these issues, among others," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.

Erdogan also said that after Joe Biden assumes office, all discussions concerning S-400s will be continued with the new US presidential administration.

"I don't know what Biden will say but in any case we won't be asking for permission from anybody," the Turkish President said.

In 2019, Turkey received the first shipment of S-400s from Russia, which hit Turkish-US relations hard. Washington demanded that Ankara abandon its plans and buy US Patriot systems instead, saying it would delay or even cancel deliveries of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and impose sanctions in line with the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Washington claims that S-400s are incompatible with NATO standards and pose security risks. Both Ankara and Moscow have dismissed the allegations and continued negotiations on an additional batch of the air-defence systems.

(SPUTNIK)