Turkey will never turn back from a deal to purchase S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara may subsequently look into buying S-500 systems.
"We concluded the S-400 issue, signed a deal with the Russians, and will start co-production. Later, we may work with S-500s," the next generation system, Erdogan said.
In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 24, Erdoğan said that the United States should not try to discipline Turkey through trade measures, adding that Turkey had its own measures prepared.
Washington previously warned that procuring the S-400 systems from Russia could jeopardize defense industry deals between the NATO allies, and earlier this week decided to end preferential trade with Turkey.
On the issue of the proposed safe zone in northern Syria, Erdoğan said giving control of the area to anyone else other than Turkey was out of the question.
He also said that if the United States could not take back the weapons it had given to the PKK's Syrian wing the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, it should give them to Turkey instead of terrorists.
"We're closely watching the U.S. pullout from Syria," Erdoğan said, but added that no steps had been taken yet.
U.S. officials have suggested that Turkey should buy U.S. Patriot missiles rather than the Russian system, arguing the S-400 is incompatible with NATO systems, but Turkish officials have said the purchase from Russia is decided, even if Turkey were to also buy Patriots.
