Moscow (Russia), June 15: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he informed US President Joe Biden on Monday that Ankara's position on the Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems remains unchanged.
The two met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.
"We expressed the same thoughts on S-400s to President Biden as we had before, also expressed the same thoughts about F-35s," Erdogan was quoted saying by the Anadolu agency.
The decision by Turkey, a NATO member, to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems triggered a crisis in relations between the two allies in 2019, when the first batch, negotiated in 2017, was delivered to the country. Despite repeated demands by US authorities to abandon the deal and ensuing sanctions, Ankara refused to make concessions and has continued negotiating additional shipments of the Russian weapons.
Relations between Turkey and the US have deteriorated due to American military support for the Kurdish-dominated People's Protection Units, and the US recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Erdogan, however, expressed his belief that there is no issue in Turkish-US relations that cannot be resolved.
In addition, Erdogan said that Washington's financial, diplomatic and logistical support would be vital if Turkish forces stayed in Afghanistan, as NATO allies conduct their pullout from the country.
According to the media outlet, the Turkish leader invited Biden to visit the country, and the US president has reportedly not ruled out the possibility.
Source: Sputnik
