Turkey challenges the US and NATO with the S-400 anti-missile system

Turkey's purchase of Russian weapons has alarmed NATO allies. Over the past few months. This equipment from the Russian defense system can pose a risk to an Alliance aircraft and may trigger a US reaction in the form of sanctions, the NATO chief recalled. 

The United States is also threatening Turkey with unilateral sanctions for the purchase of S-400 air defense systems, while Ankara has warned that it will not leave the imposition of these restrictions unanswered. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Ankara will not give up the S-400 despite the pressure of the USA. 

Meanwhile, the Turkish Ministry of Defense suggested again that Ankara and Washington should discuss possible technical measures concerning the S-400 in order to solve the bilateral contradictions.  

Turkey is the first NATO member state to purchase such air defense missile systems from Russia. Deliveries of the S-400 launchers to Turkey began on 12 July 2019. 

"We continue to verify and prepare the S-400 systems according to our plans," Anadolu news agency quoted.   

"We will use the S-400s in the same way as some NATO members use the S-300s," said the Turkish defense minister. 

Turkey's decision to acquire the Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems has caused a very negative reaction from the USA and NATO as a whole.  

Ankara argues that it was forced to buy the Russian system because the USA refused to sell the American-made Patriot system. The Turkish government also points out what it considers a double standard, since Greece, a member of NATO, uses Russian-made missiles. 

"We will use the S-400 system in the same way as other NATO member states with existing S-300 systems use them within the NATO alliance," the defense minister said. 

Turkey's defense minister Hulusi Akar has reaffirmed the country's plans to use a Russian-made missile defense system that it bought despite the continuous objections of the USA.  Akar declared before a parliamentary budget committee on Thursday that the army continues its controls and preparations of the S-400 as planned. 

Akar said that Turkey is ready to discuss with the USA its "anxiety" about the interoperability of the S-400 and F-35. "Our offer of a joint working group is still on the table", in comments made by the official news agency Anadolu. 

Washington strongly opposes the acquisition of the Russian antiaircraft system by NATO member Turkey, arguing that the S-400s are a threat to stealth fighters and would not be interoperable with NATO systems. 

Meanwhile, the US under-secretary of state for political and military affairs, Clarke Cooper, said in early November that there was still a possibility that the US would impose sanctions against Turkey for the purchase of Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems. 

The U.S. has also warned Ankara that it risks U.S. sanctions under the Countering America's Adversarial Missile Act through sanctions if the S-400 system is activated. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take a tougher stance on the issue.