US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that the United States was seriously concerned over Ankara’s decision to buy Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, which are not compatible with NATO’s defenses.
"The secretary underscored the seriousness of US concerns ... if they (Turkey) go ahead," a senior US official said after a meeting between Pompeo and Cavusoglu on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers session.
"He asked Cavusoglu to closely consider NATO interoperable systems," Reuters cited the official as saying.
Cavusoglu told Turkish broadcasters after the meeting that the S-400 deal was completed but that Turkey would be open to purchasing other defense systems from its allies.
"We have completed the S-400 process. That is a done deal. But we need more air defense. We can discuss what we can do for further purchases," the minister said.
Cavusoglu said Turkey would not be deterred by possible sanctions. "The ‘I will impose sanctions if you buy’ approach will not affect Turkey. Turkey will not accept this. If we are going to discuss what we can do together in the future, we are in," he stressed.
