US: Turkey Cannot Receive Patriot Missiles Unless It Returns S-400s

* Photo: Anadolu Agency - Archive

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The US has responded to President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks that "the US seems to be softening its stance on the S-400 and the Patriot missiles."

Addressing a question about those remarks at his press briefing yesterday (March 10), Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Jonathan R. Hoffman has indicated that Mark Esper's "view on this has been clear since the first day he began as Secretary of Defense."

This view is "that Turkey is not going to receive a Patriot battery unless it returns the S-400", Hoffman has underlined.

Erdoğan said "US softened its stance'

Addressing the journalists on his way back from Brussels, President and ruling AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan argued that "the US had softened its stance on the S-400 missiles" and supported his argument as follows:

"As you know, we have made the following offer to the US: 'Give us the Patriots if you will. We will purchase Patriots from you.' But, they - of course - have softened their stance about the issue of S-400s a lot. They have come to the point of saying 'if you promise not to activate the S-400, we are going to reconsider selling the Patriot missile to Turkey." (EKN/SD)