Russia, Turkey to Sign New S-400 Deal in Near Future: RIA

Turkey is in the final stages of negotiating a new deal for an advanced Russian air defense system, RIA Novosti reported Monday, citing Russia’s state-run arms exporter.

A new contract for S-400 Triumph missiles will be signed soon, Rosoboronexport head Alexander Mikheyev said at a briefing, according to the report.

The U.S. strongly opposes Turkey’s purchase of the missile system, which Washington says could be used to collect intelligence on the stealth capabilities of the F-35 fighter jet that Turkey has helped to build and wants to purchase.

Turkey received its first deliveries of the S-400 in 2019 and has refused to scrap the program, despite U.S. sanctions. President Joe Biden and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the issue on the sidelines of a NATO summit in June but failed to reach a resolution.

Bloomberg