Turkey will not go back on its agreement to buy S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara may subsequently look into buying S-500 systems, Reuters reports.
In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 24, Erdogan said it would be “immoral” for Turkey to turn back from its deal with Russia.
“It’s done. There can never be a turning back. This would not be ethical, it would be immoral. Nobody should ask us to lick up what we spat,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan also said that Turkey could not accept control of a planned safe zone in northern Syria being given to anyone else. The US-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia currently controls the area, but Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization.
Erdogan added that if the United States could not take back the weapons it had given to the militia in Syria, it should give them to Turkey.