Turkey may purchase second batch of S-400: FM

Turkey may buy a second batch of Russian-made S-400 defense systems if the United States refuses to provide Patriot missile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

"If the U.S. does not want to sell the Patriot, tomorrow we could buy a second S-400 or another defense system," Cavusoglu said during an interview with NTV broadcaster.

The U.S. has offered to sell its Patriot system to Turkey in a bid to cancel Turkey's procurement of the S-400s, but this was not guaranteed, he stated.

Last week the Pentagon announced that it halted "deliveries and activities" related to Turkey's procurement of the F-35 fighter jets program if Ankara insisted on the S-400 deal. The U.S. also rejects sales of Patriots to Turkey in case of the latter's purchase of Russian systems.

"If we don't have F35, I need to take the plane elsewhere," he said, adding that Russian fighter jets, SU-34, SU-57 could be alternatives to meet Turkey's demand.

Asked if Russian warplanes could be an alternative to buy, if the U.S. blocks delivery of F-35 fighters jets to Turkey, the minister said: "F35 or there are Russia's SU-34, SU-57, which they will newly produce. I will meet my requirement from another source until I am able to produce on my own."

Elaborating on his meetings in Washington last week, the minister said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could not guarantee the sale of Patriots to Turkey, he noted.

Cavusoglu said that he explained to the U.S. officials why Turkey needs to buy S-400 systems.

"After explaining why we had to take the S-400s, they said they didn't know it was like that. We said that the U.S. did not sell these systems to us before and Turkey has to meet (these systems) in one place. Secondly, there are S-300s in some NATO member countries. It does not contradict NATO membership," the minister said.

He was referring Turkey's previous attempt to buy Patriot systems which were blocked by the U.S. Congress.

Turkey has offered the U.S. to form a technical team in order to examine whether the S-400 systems would spy on the technology of F35 fighters jets, which the U.S. threatens to block the delivery on the grounds that the Russian system would pose security threat to Western warplane.

The U.S. has yet to respond to Turkey's proposal of forming a technical team, the minister added.

Turkey and the U.S. are in talks for the former's purchase demand of Patriot anti-missile systems, but the talks are in limbo in Washington, as the American side asked Ankara for an annulment of the 3.5-billion-U.S.-dollar acquisition of Russian systems.