The alliance secretary-general has said the S-400s cannot be integrated into NATO’s air defence system because they pose a threat to allied aircraft
NATO has expressed concern to Turkey over the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) and believes they pose a threat to allied aircraft. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in an interview with the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung published on Wednesday.
“I, like the other 29 allies, have clearly expressed to Turkey my concerns about this decision. There are alternatives, such as the European SAMP/T-System or the US Patriot”, – he said. – “We are working on a solution, but we have not moved forward yet”, – the NATO secretary general admitted.
“What is clear is that the S-400s cannot be integrated into NATO’s air defence system because they pose a threat to allied aircraft”, – Stoltenberg said.
Russia and Turkey signed a contract for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 SAMs in 2017. Turkey was the first NATO country to buy the systems from Russia. Ankara’s decision provoked a sharp negative reaction from the US and the alliance as a whole. The United States has not stopped trying to get Turkey to give up the Russian SAMs. Due to the fact that Turkey is not yielding to pressure and is not getting rid of S-400, Washington has excluded Ankara from the US program for production of the F-35 fifth generation fighter-bombers. In addition, the US has long threatened Turkey for buying S-400 with a series of unilateral sanctions, but was in no hurry to take these steps because it feared further straining relations with a key NATO ally. Ankara warned that it would not let the application of such restrictions go unanswered.