Turkey Reaches Out To Russia For S-400 Missile System Buy

Turkey is seeking to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems to bolster the country’s missile defense, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Friday.

"As for missile defense, work is continuing. We are negotiating on S-400 not only with Russia, but with other countries that have similar systems. Russia's position on this issue now is positive," Isik said in an interview with Turkey's NTV broadcaster.

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said last month that Moscow and Ankara had agreed to work out the details of a possible cooperation on implementing the Turkish national missile defense system project, Sputnik reports.

"We hope that NATO member states would take this seriously, and our system will be compatible with the alliance's requirements. But we do not in any way reject the Russian proposal, and are actively working on it. Our ultimate goal is to manufacture these systems at home," Isik was quoted as saying last month.

The S-400 is Russia's next-generation air defense system, carrying three different types of missiles capable of destroying aerial targets at a short-to-extremely-long range. The weapon is capable of tracking and destroying all existing aerial targets, including ballistics and cruise missiles.