Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the delivery of a Russian S-400 missile defense system to Turkey “might be delayed until after June,” the Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday, citing local media.
“They may not make it in June but will arrive in the following months. The process has started,” Akar said late Monday in an interview with private broadcaster HaberTürk.
“There’s a snafu in the agreements for procurement of the S-400s. The relevant institutions are continuing negotiations on them,” the minister said when asked about the arrival time of the air defense system.
The Turkish Defense Ministry is working on possible locations for deployment of the S-400 batteries, he said.
In April Akar said Turkey expected to receive the Russian S-400 air defense batteries by June. The missile batteries will most likely be used for the defense of Ankara and İstanbul.
The United States has threatened to suspend the delivery of F-35 fighter jets and slap sanctions on Turkey if it insists on moving forward with the purchase of the S-400s.