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Turkey defies US as Russian S-400 missile defence arrives | Turkey defies US as Russian S-400 missile defence arrives |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Turkey has received the first parts of a Russian S-400 missile defence system despite opposition from the US. | Turkey has received the first parts of a Russian S-400 missile defence system despite opposition from the US. |
The shipment arrived in an airbase in the capital Ankara on Friday, the Turkish defence ministry says. | The shipment arrived in an airbase in the capital Ankara on Friday, the Turkish defence ministry says. |
The move will anger the US, which has warned that Turkey cannot have both the S-400 anti-aircraft defence system and US F-35 fighter jets. | The move will anger the US, which has warned that Turkey cannot have both the S-400 anti-aircraft defence system and US F-35 fighter jets. |
Turkey and the US are Nato allies - but Turkey has also been establishing closer links with Russia. | Turkey and the US are Nato allies - but Turkey has also been establishing closer links with Russia. |
What's the argument about? | |
Turkey has signed up to buying 100 US F-35 warplanes and has invested heavily in the F-35 programme. Turkish companies produce 937 of the plane's parts. | |
But Turkey has also pursued an increasingly independent defence policy amid strained ties with the US and Europe. It has purchased Russia's advanced S-400 air defence system for $2.5bn and sent members of its armed forces to Russia for training. | |
US defence officials said the S-400 is incompatible with the wider Nato air-defence system in the region. | |
The officials said they did not want the F-35 jets to be near S-400 systems because they feared Russian technicians would be able to access the F-35's vulnerabilities. | |
The US warned that it would exclude Turkey from the F-35 programme if the S-400 deal went ahead, and warned that it could impose economic sanctions. | |
Turkey has argued that the two systems would be located in separate locations, and that the US was slow to offer an alternative missile defence shield. | |
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a meeting with US President Donald Trump that he believes the US will not impose sanctions. | |
This looks set to prompt a major rift between Washington and one of its key Nato allies. For an alliance member to buy this kind of equipment from Russia is almost unprecedented. | This looks set to prompt a major rift between Washington and one of its key Nato allies. For an alliance member to buy this kind of equipment from Russia is almost unprecedented. |
The US has already halted deliveries of the aircraft to Turkey and suspended the training of Turkish pilots. | The US has already halted deliveries of the aircraft to Turkey and suspended the training of Turkish pilots. |
Plans are also under way to remove Turkey from the programme altogether. It manufactures part of the F-35 and is due to be a regional hub for maintenance of the aircraft. | Plans are also under way to remove Turkey from the programme altogether. It manufactures part of the F-35 and is due to be a regional hub for maintenance of the aircraft. |
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to believe that, whatever the Pentagon may say, Donald Trump himself is less hostile to the purchase of the Russian missiles. | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to believe that, whatever the Pentagon may say, Donald Trump himself is less hostile to the purchase of the Russian missiles. |
A major test of ties between Ankara and Washington beckons. | A major test of ties between Ankara and Washington beckons. |
How important is Turkey? | |
Turkey has the second-largest army in Nato, a 29-member military alliance. | |
It is one of the US's key allies, and is located in a strategic position, sharing borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran. | |
It has also played an important role in the Syria conflict, providing arms and military support to some rebel groups. | |
However, it has seen relations deteriorate with some Nato members and the EU, who have accused Mr Erdogan of adopting an increasingly authoritarian style following a failed coup in 2016. | |
How does the S-400 work? | How does the S-400 work? |