“Turkey’s commitment to agreeing on a deal with S-400 is not just a practical option. The C-400 in integrated air defense systems is much more efficient than the American Patriot. For Turks, this is another matter of independent foreign policy. Turkey has positioned itself in this way for more than one year and although it does not withdraw from NATO, it’s not going to compromise on its principles of independence and independence in decision-making, ”the expert believes.
At the same time, he noted that it is unlikely that the Americans, in retaliation, would jeopardize Turkey’s participation in the fifth-generation F-35 fighter program.
“The aircraft is produced within the framework of a private company, Turkey is also involved in the work, which produces a number of key parts for this machine. Therefore, if Turkey is excluded from the project and the planes are not given them, then in this case it will be necessary to look for a technological replacement for Turkish manufacturers. This will delay the launch of the entire model and lead to large losses, the United States understands this very well, ”concluded Nadein-Rayevsky.
Earlier, Erdogan reaffirmed the interest of the Turkish side in the purchase of anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) S-400.
According to him, Turkey does not intend to abandon the deal on the acquisition of Russian military equipment.
On February 16, Washington said that the United States would not tolerate NATO allies buying weapons from potential adversaries.