Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, which has raised tensions with Washington, is a “done deal” and cannot be canceled, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of a visit to the U.S., Cavusoglu said Turkey would like to purchase the Patriot systems, but it would not back out of its deal with Russia.
“We have told them I don’t know how many months ago or years ago that it’s a done deal, so we cannot cancel it,” Reuters cited the Turkish diplomat as saying.
In addition, Cavusoglu said Turkey had proposed forming a working group with the U.S. administration to ensure that the S-400 poses no threat to U.S. or NATO military equipment.