S-400 anti-air missile systems will begin to arrive in Turkey in two months, says the head of Russian state defense corporation Rostec, despite Washington warning Ankara that the deal could threaten their partnership.
“We will begin delivery of the S-400s to Turkey within two months,” Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov announced on Friday during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). He noted that the agreement was already entering the final stages, and that Turkey had made all of the payments on time.
Also on rt.com Purchase of S-400 systems will be ‘devastating’ for Turkey’s F-35 program – PentagonChemezov also indicated that Russia had already finished training Turkish specialists to operate the advanced long-range surface-to-air missile system, a sign that the deal is close to completion, despite Washington’s strong opposition.
READ MORE: US won't train any more Turkish F-35 pilots as Ankara refuses to ditch S-400 – report
Tensions have been high between Turkey and the US as the NATO allies diverged over the arms sale. Having made every effort to block the deal, the US has even decided to stop accepting new Turkish pilots for its F-35 training program, Reuters reported, citing officials.
Last week, the US warned that the purchase might have “devastating” consequences, both for the F-35 training program, and for Turkey’s future in the NATO.
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