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Kremlin Aide Says Russia In Talks To Sell Turkey S-400 Air Defense Systems


A Russian S-400 defense missile system deployed at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria
A Russian S-400 defense missile system deployed at the Hmeymim airbase in Syria

A Kremlin military aide said that Russia is in negotiations to supply Turkey with S-400 defense systems, even though Turkey is a NATO member.

"They are very keen" to buy the systems, Russian presidential aide for military-technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin told Rossiya-24 TV on March 23.

Kozhin said Russia is willing to sell the systems to a NATO member because it closely enforces its intellectual property rights and because the S-400 system is an older model that will soon be superseded.

"S-500 complexes are coming up," and in a couple of years will be supplied to the Russian Army, he said. Moreover, "each country assumes obligations what it can and cannot do with the weapon it is buying. We watch this very carefully."

Kozhin contended that U.S. and EU sanctions on Russia haven't had much effect on sales of Russian weapons, which he said remain in demand around the world because they provide good value for the price.

Kozhin said Russia has reduced its dependence on Ukrainian-made weapons parts to nearly zero since tensions erupted in 2014, particularly with respect to the engines Ukraine once provided for Russian helicopters and Navy ships.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

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