Turkish S-400 Buy to Stop US from Supplying Patriot Missiles, F-35 Fighters: Local Media

The United States will not supply Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and F-35 fighter jets to Turkey if Ankara sticks to buying Russian S-400 missile defense systems, Turkish media reported Thursday.

In December last year, the US State Department issued a notice of sale of Patriot Missile System to Turkey worth $3.5 billion which was followed by the visit of a US delegation to Ankara to discuss the proposed sale further.

In a Thursday report by Turkish News daily, Yeni Safak reported that the US will not supply Patriot missile systems to Ankara. Other local media sources reported that if Turkey goes ahead with S-400 buy, the US is likely to stop F-35 deliveries to Turkey.

Washington’s effort to block Turkey from acquiring Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems fell short as the US’s latest Patriot missiles offer failed to include neither a technology sharing clause as demanded by Ankara nor a discount on the proposed $3.5 billion deal, Yeni Safak had reported earlier.

The report also said that Ankara’s S-400 deal with Russia cost significantly less than the offer Washington put forward, coming at only a third of the price tag. The US had previously attempted to pressure Turkey by blocking the delivery of jointly-developed F-35 jets to Ankara, a precondition that was later dropped by Washington.