The delivery of an S-400 missile defense system to Turkey is proceeding according to schedule, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, the Hürriyet Daily News reported.
“The delivery will be carried out earlier than originally planned at the request of the Turkish side,” Peskov told reporters in Kazakhstan’s capital of Nursultan, formerly known as Astana.
He added that there would be no delay in the delivery of the defense hardware.
Tensions between the US and Turkey have reached a fever pitch in recent months, with Turkey set to begin receiving the advanced S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile system that Washington said would jeopardize Turkey’s role in the F-35 fighter jet program and could trigger congressional sanctions.
Turkey decided in 2017 to purchase the S-400s following protracted efforts to purchase Patriot missiles from the US with no success.