Turkey continues negotiations with Russia on the purchase of S-400 missile systems
In his interview with Turkish NTV news channel, Turkish Defense Minister, Fikri Işık, confirmed that Turnkey has been conducting negotiations on the purchase of S-400 Russian air defense systems, despite its membership in NATO and the strained relationship with the Russian Federation.
Işık has confirmed reports that the military is considering the Russian systems, despite the fact that NATO is currently providing missile and air defense for the country. "Turkey has the constant need for protection against missile and air attacks. We have two options: We are considering the purchase of the missile system, but we are also developing our own weapons in order to modernize our air defense system," the Minister said. He added that talks with Russia are indeed underway, but they are far from completion.
The US maintains a significant military presence in Turkey, primarily on the Incirlik Air Base in the southeast of the country. It is used by the US-led coalition to conduct attacks on the Islamic state in Syria and Iraq. In addition, the British Royal Air Force is nearby at the Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
Russia has deployed the S-400 system to Syria near the Hmeymim air base. In addition, the S-400 has been deployed to the Russian-annexed Crimea. Russia also has deployed two long and medium-range S-400 anti-aircraft missile complexes to the Finnish border.