ANKARA, February 12. /TASS/. Ankara has no plans to abandon its purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense systems, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told the TRT broadcaster.

"The decision on the S-400 systems was not made overnight, which is what we told our American colleagues. The S-400 agreement was signed about four months before the CAATSA [Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act]. From the legal standpoint, US statements are inconsistent. The US said that it would not hold talks on the matter at the moment," Kalin pointed out.

S-400 deal

Moscow and Ankara signed a contract for the delivery of the S-400 systems in 2017. Turkey became the first NATO country to purchase these systems from Russia, drawing a negative reaction from the United States and NATO in general. In particular, Washington said that "Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible." The US also threatens to impose sanctions on Turkey over the S-400 deal but Ankara warned that such a move would not go unanswered.

The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range ones, and can also be used against ground objectives. The S-400 system can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up to 35 km.