Russia confirms Turkey buying S-400 missile defence system!

ISTANBUL/MOSCOW: Russia and Turkey have signed a contract for Ankara to purchase the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday, in a move that could set off alarm bells in Washington.

“The contract has been signed and is being prepared to be fulfilled,” Vladimir Kozhin, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in comments carried by state news agency Tass.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was earlier quoted by local media as saying that his country had put down a deposit for the advanced missile system, the best that Russia currently has on offer.
US military officials and politicians have expressed concerns over the intentions of Turkey, a Nato member, to buy the Russian system amid wider signs of Ankara getting closer to Moscow over the past year.Joseph Dunford, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in July that such a purchase “would be a concern” for Washington.
At a hearing by the US Senate’s foreign relations committee last week, both Republican and Democrat members expressed concerns over the reports that Turkey was planning to move ahead and buy the Russian system. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the committee, floated the idea that the purchase could violate US sanctions against Russia.
Russia’s Kozhin told Tass that “all the decisions made for this contract strictly comply with our strategic interests.”
“In this regard,” Kozhin continued, “the reaction of some Western countries that are trying to put pressure on Turkey is completely understandable to us.”
Erdogan said Turkey would independently determine its defence requirements, the Hurriyet newspaper and others reported.
“Our friends have signed with regards to the S-400. As far as I know,they also paid the deposit,” Erdogan told reporters. The Russian S-400 is not compatible with Nato systems. Some media reports have said the deal could be worth up to $2.5 billion.  — dpa