Fidan: S-400 became a pretext for the US to exclude Turkey from the F-35 program. Fidan noted that the situation was a reflection of the country’s policy and its desire to improve its air defense capabilities.
Earlier, Aydınlık reported that the United States is demanding that Turkey pay for the maintenance of retained F- 35s. The Americans, in their legal framework, used it as a pretext,” the minister said, adding that because of this, Turkey suffered losses and lost operational capabilities.