Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that “his country is very difficult to buy Russian S-400 missile defense systems,” but expressed his hope that the dispute with the United States on this issue would be resolved through dialogue.
Akar confirmed that Turkey is in talks with Russia to obtain a second shipment of "S-400" systems.
The United States imposed sanctions last month targeting the Turkish Defense Industries Authority, its chairman, Ismail Demir, and 3 other employees, after the agency bought the "S-400" system, and the two countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In an interview with foreign correspondents in Ankara, Akar said that "retreating from the point we have reached is a very difficult situation, and we call on the United States to avoid language of threat such as sanctions."
"We want to solve problems through dialogue, and if the American side wants a solution, it can be reached through work at the technical level," he said.
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 member state of NATO on satisfactory terms.
For its part, the United States says that the S-400 missiles pose a threat to its F-35 fighters and NATO defense systems, a saying Turkey rejects.