Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed that his country is proceeding with the purchase of the Russian "S-400" missile system (S-400), and that it is entitled to obtain weapons without permission from anyone. He also expressed his hope to solve the problem of delivering the F-35 aircraft. (F-35) after Joe Biden assumed the presidency of the United States.

After performing the Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan told reporters that Turkey will go ahead with its plans to obtain the second batch of the "S-400" missile system, stressing his country's commitment to obtaining defensive weapons without the permission of any party.

He added that he does not know Biden's position on this, but what he does know is that Turkey will press ahead with its defensive steps, similar to what happened during the era of his predecessor Donald Trump.

Erdogan pointed out that Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and that it bought American F-35 planes and paid huge sums for them, but its ally, the United States, did not hand them over, describing this as a major mistake in diplomatic norms.

The Turkish president expressed his hope that the problem of delivering F-35s to Turkey would be solved after Biden took office.

During his participation in the opening of a museum of painting and sculpture, Erdogan said that the sovereign rights of states are more vulnerable to attacks in the digital world than the actual borders.

"We will expand our concept of defense to include the cyber home in the digital world as well as the blue home in the seas," he added.

On Thursday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country was very difficult to withdraw from purchasing "S-400" missiles, adding, "We call on the United States to distance itself from the language of threat, such as sanctions."

The United States imposed sanctions last month targeting the Turkish Defense Industries Authority, its chairman, Ismail Demir, and three other employees, after the agency bought the "S-400" system.

Turkey says that the purchase of the Russian air defense system is a necessity, as it has not been able to purchase defense systems from any NATO member state on satisfactory terms, while the United States says that the S-400 missiles pose a threat to its F-35 fighters and NATO defense systems. The Atlantic.