US ‘never offered any indication’ it would accept Turkey’s S-400s

The United States have not singled that it would accept Turkey keeping the Russian-made S-400 defense system if it were under US custody, a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.

Asked whether the Biden administration has ever either floated or entertained the proposal of Turkey deploying the Russian S-400s at NATO’s Incirlik airbase, Ned Price responded: “We have never offered any indication that we are willing to accept Turkey’s possession of the S400 system.”

“The Russian S-400s – and let’s be very clear about that – are not compatible with NATO equipment. They threaten the security of NATO technology. They are not in line with Turkey’s allied commitments to NATO. We urge and continue to urge Turkey not to maintain this system,” he added.

Erdogan and Biden are scheduled to meet on the margins of a June 14 NATO summit in Brussels.