Russian S-400 air defense missile systems roll along Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, on May 7, 2017. Ivan Sekretarev/AP
Turkey and Russia are haggling over the price for Turkey’s purchase of advanced long-range S-400 anti-air missiles, billed as F-35 killers by Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on the outlines of an S-400 deal in May 3 meetings in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi.
“Now we have intensified the talks on some technical details and prices,” Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Wednesday.
“As soon as the price issue is settled, our heads — the president and the prime minister — will make a final decision,” he said, according to Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper.
The S-400 deal is expected to be a main topic of talks at the White House next Tuesday between Erdogan and President Donald Trump.
The U.S. has generally been opposed to having NATO allies such as Turkey acquire systems that do not mesh with NATO’s common defense systems.
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The mobile surface-to-air S-400, called the “Growler” by NATO, costs about $400 million for a unit consisting of eight launchers and 112 missiles. Russia claims that the S-400 is effective against stealth aircraft such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Full article: Turkey Seeks Advanced S-400 Anti-Air Missiles From Russia (DefenseTech)
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