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NEWS DESK | Turkey threatened that if the U.S. continued to deny it the F-35, it would pursue purchase of the fighter from another state. Would this be a possibility? Our Daniel Tsemach analyzes.
Story:
"You won't give the F-35? Very well, excuse me, but we will take measures in this regard and will turn towards others," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday amid Washington backing out of large jet deal with Ankara.
The United States has reacted to Turkey's recent purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which was delivered this month, by kicking the country off its F-35 fighter jet program.
"No threats or sanctions against Turkey, especially threats to remove (Turkey) from the F-35 project, will prevent Turkey from ensuring its security priorities," Erdogan told a gathering of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara.
"Even if we're not getting F-35's, we are buying 100 advanced Boeing aircrafts, the agreement is signed," he continued. "At the moment, one of the Boeing planes has arrived and we are making the payments, we are good customers," he said. "But, if things continue like this, we will have to reconsider this."
"I hope the US will act with good sense regarding the S-400," he added.
Erdogan also said that Turkey planned to start using the S-400 system -- a bone of contention with the United States -- in April 2020.
"In the coming spring, God willing in April 2020, we will be able to start using this system," he told a gathering of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara.
The US says Russia will be able to glean sensitive technical knowledge about the new fighter if it is operated alongside the S-400.
Turkey and the US have also held talks this week on establishing a buffer zone in northern Syria to prevent clashes between Turkish and Kurdish forces.
