Ankara has rejected news reports that the US has set an official deadline for Turkey to pull out from the S-400 deal with Russia by the end of the first week of June, according to Turkish TV channel A Haber.
“Nothing of that kind [has occurred] at the official level,” Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kiran said, “In March the US renewed its previous proposal on supplies of Patriot missile systems. Actually, we believe that this [media report] concerned this proposal.”
Kiran speaking in Washington on Wednesday, also noted that Ankara opposed the American sanctions under the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act”. He stressed that the deal with Moscow to buy four batteries of the S-400 air defence systems had been signed before the law was passed.
As a NATO-state, Turkey has been facing mounting pressure from the US and its allies over the S-400 deal. On Wednesday, Germany urged Turkey to cancel the agreement which “could trigger US sanctions, which would run counter to Turkish and NATO interests,” and opt for the US-made Patriot system.
On Tuesday several American media outlets quoted sources in the government as saying that Turkey was facing an ultimatum to stop the transaction with Russia within two weeks. The White House opposes the deal citing security concerns and arguing that the S-400 is not compatible with NATO systems.