MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense systems in no way undermines the security of other NATO states, the CEO of the Rostec corporation, Sergei Chemezov, said in an interview with the RT channel.
"I can say that S-400 is first and foremost a defensive weapon, and it cannot be used during an offensive. <…> So I cannot imagine how it can affect the security of other NATO states. On the contrary, the Turkish side ensures the security of NATO members. So I see no problem here," he said.
He also noted that under the deal with Turkey on the delivery of S-400, partial localization of its components used in the missile defense system is planned. However, the Rostec CEO noted that the handover of technology to a third country cannot be used against Russia. "We do not carry out 100% localization. Even if we wanted to, it is unlikely that Turkey could have organized the production of such state-of-the-art equipment domestically. There needs to be a corresponding school set up for that. So I see no need for concern," Chemezov said.
Russia and Turkey signed a deal on the delivery of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ankara in 2017. Turkey was the first NATO state to purchase those systems from Russia. Turkey’s decision to acquire the Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems caused a sharply negative reaction from the United States and NATO as a whole. The United States is not abandoning its attempts to make Turkey give up the Russian air defense systems. In October 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara was not going to give up the S-400 systems despite the US pressure. He also rejected the threats of sanctions and suggested the United States should finally stop threatening Turkey and try to impose them in reality.