Erdogan: I told Trump that Turkey can’t abandon S-400 purchase

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had told his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump it was impossible for Ankara to abandon the purchase of the S-400 missile systems from Russia.

"We explained to Trump that Turkey won’t back down as far as the S-400 systems are concerned. I told Trump how Turkey had come to the decision to buy the S-400 systems," TASS cited the Turkish president as saying.

The U.S. President "recognized our right to do it," he said in a speech in Ankara, broadcast by the NTV channel.

According to the Turkish leader, he also pointed out at his meeting with Trump that if disagreements on the F-35 delivery persist, then Ankara "will have to turn to others to fulfill its needs."