The issue of Turkey, a US NATO ally, buying Russian air defence systems has been straining relations between Washington and Ankara since December 2017, when the deal with Moscow was inked. The US claims that the Russian systems pose a threat to American F-35 jets Ankara is also willing to buy.
The US has requested Turkey delay the procurement of Russian S-400 systems, slated to take place this July, to 2020 in a bid to win some tome to convince Ankara to scrap the deal with Moscow, Bloomberg reported, citing two anonymous sources. According to the media outlet, Turkey is currently considering the American request, but hasn’t responded yet.