Turkey 'Not Close' to Signing 2nd Batch S-400 Deal: Turkish Official

Russian claim of Ankara being in the ‘final stages’ of a deal to buy a second batch of S-400 air defense system (ADS) is false, a Turkish official has said.

Russian state arms supplier Rosoboronexport General Director Alexander Mikheev reportedly told Russian state media on Monday that the consultations between Turkey and Russia on a new supply of the S-400s were at the “final stage.”

“And in the near future we will go out with partners to formalize and sign a contract," he said.

Rejecting Mikheev’s claims, the Turkish official told Middle East News,“There is no change in the status of discussions to buy a second S-400 battery.”

The U.S.-Turkey tensions skyrocketed after the latter bought the S-400 systems from Russia for $2.5 billion in 2017. Washington’s attempts to persuade Ankara to ditch the systems went in vain. Soon after Russia began shipping the S-400s to Turkey in July 2019, the U.S. struck off Turkey’s name from the list of F-35 program partners.

The report is part of a ‘Russian perception operation’ whereby it releases misleading statements against Turkey amid its unsolved issues with the American side. “The Russians are trying to poison (our) relations with the United States,” the official was quoted as saying.

However, the official has not altogether denied the probability of purchase of the second battery of S-400 ADS. Earlier Turkish reports had said the second battery sale would involve transfer of technology to Turkey and a more competitive price.