Turkey's Erdogan:
Russian Missile Defense System to Arrive in 10 Days
ANKARA (Dispatches) – Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan says Russian S-400 missiles will begin arriving within 10 days, Turkish media reported, setting the clock ticking on possible U.S. sanctions after his warm meeting with President Donald Trump.
Hard-hit Turkish financial assets jumped on Monday after a weekend in which Erdogan said Trump had told him at a G20 summit there would be no U.S. sanctions, and the U.S. leader said Turkey had been treated unfairly over the missiles deal.
Turkey and the United States, NATO allies, have been at odds over Ankara’s decision to purchase the S-400s, with Washington warning of U.S. sanctions if the delivery took place.
Turkey has dismissed the warnings from Congress and Trump’s top secretaries, saying it would not back down and holding out hope that the White House could protect it from sanctions that could hit its already soft currency and economy.
Erdogan’s comments offered the most specific timeline yet on the delivery of the ground-to-air missiles that U.S. officials have claimed are not compatible with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defenses.
"Within 10 days, maybe within one week, the first shipment will have arrived. I told Trump this openly,” Erdogan was cited as saying on Sunday by Hurriyet newspaper after his meeting with Trump in Japan.
The United States says the S-400s will compromise its Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets, of which Turkey is a producer and buyer. Washington has also formally started the process of expelling Turkey from the F-35 program, halting the training of Turkish pilots in the United States.
After the Trump-Erdogan talks, the White House said Trump "expressed concern” over the S-400 deal and "encouraged Turkey to work with the United States on defense cooperation in a way that strengthens the NATO alliance.”
Speaking to reporters after the G20 summit, where he held bilateral talks with Trump, Erdogan said he believed the dispute over the S-400s would be overcome "without a problem” and added that his U.S. counterpart supported Turkey in the dispute.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference on the final day of the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan June 29, 2019.
Hard-hit Turkish financial assets jumped on Monday after a weekend in which Erdogan said Trump had told him at a G20 summit there would be no U.S. sanctions, and the U.S. leader said Turkey had been treated unfairly over the missiles deal.
Turkey and the United States, NATO allies, have been at odds over Ankara’s decision to purchase the S-400s, with Washington warning of U.S. sanctions if the delivery took place.
Turkey has dismissed the warnings from Congress and Trump’s top secretaries, saying it would not back down and holding out hope that the White House could protect it from sanctions that could hit its already soft currency and economy.
Erdogan’s comments offered the most specific timeline yet on the delivery of the ground-to-air missiles that U.S. officials have claimed are not compatible with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defenses.
"Within 10 days, maybe within one week, the first shipment will have arrived. I told Trump this openly,” Erdogan was cited as saying on Sunday by Hurriyet newspaper after his meeting with Trump in Japan.
The United States says the S-400s will compromise its Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets, of which Turkey is a producer and buyer. Washington has also formally started the process of expelling Turkey from the F-35 program, halting the training of Turkish pilots in the United States.
After the Trump-Erdogan talks, the White House said Trump "expressed concern” over the S-400 deal and "encouraged Turkey to work with the United States on defense cooperation in a way that strengthens the NATO alliance.”
Speaking to reporters after the G20 summit, where he held bilateral talks with Trump, Erdogan said he believed the dispute over the S-400s would be overcome "without a problem” and added that his U.S. counterpart supported Turkey in the dispute.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference on the final day of the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan June 29, 2019.