Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar assured the public on Saturday that the S-400 air defense system recently acquired from Russia will only be used to defend against an attack and will not threaten anyone.
"We tell the West that the S-400 does not pose a threat to anyone. It is not an element of threats and will not be used, except in cases where someone decides to use missiles against Turkey or send an aircraft to attack her," the minister told the local newspaper Sözcü.
He made these statements in response to concerns raised by the United States, who excluded Turkey from the F-35 fighter-bomber program after Ankara purchased the S-400 system. The first four units of the system, worth a total of $2.5 billion, were successfully delivered by the Russian military industry in late 2019.
