An S-400 air defense system purchased by Turkey from Russia will be delivered as planned, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
“On behalf of the Kremlin, I can confirm that the deal on the S-400s is being implemented according to plan,” Peskov told reporters, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
Tensions between the US and Turkey have escalated in recent months over Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 system, which Washington said will jeopardize Turkey’s role in the F-35 fighter jet program and could trigger sanctions.
During last week’s G20 summit in Osaka, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said US President Donald Trump told him there would be no sanctions against Turkey after it received the S-400 defense system, which is expected to be delivered later in July.
Lindsay Graham, a key US senator, however said that “if Turkey … activates the S-400 missile battery they bought from the Russians, sanctions would be required under law,” referring to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) passed in 2017.
A Turkish media outlet reported that the Russian missiles would be loaded on to cargo planes on Sunday.