Turkey may purchase Russian warplanes, says Erdogan

Turkey may purchase Russian warplanes if the United States cancels the delivery of the F-35 fighter jets, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.

Turkey did not ask anyone permission when buying the Russian S-400 missile system nor will not do so if it decides to acquire Russian fighter jets, pro-government Star newspaper quoted the president as telling reporters following a parliamentary meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara.

The United States in July removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jets program after Ankara received the first parts of the Russian missile defence system citing security concerns on the coexistence of the F-35 and the Russian intelligence collection platform.