US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Turkey “was not allowed to buy Patriot missiles by the Obama administration” and his administration is looking at different solutions regarding its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missiles.
"Turkey is a NATO member and was not treated fairly," Trump said in a joint presser with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, referring to the Obama administration's reluctance to sell Patriots to Turkey in 2013.
Asked about possible sanctions against Turkey, Trump said “we are looking at it, but it’s a two-way street”.
Trump also touched on the trade volume between Turkey and the US, saying "$75 billion is small. I think it is going to be well over $100 billion soon."
He also said he will visit Turkey this year. Asked if it will be in July, he said the date is not set yet.
Earlier, President Erdogan on Saturday said delivery of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system to Turkey is proceeding without delay.
Erdogan said Saturday at the start of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, that the deal is a priority and there has been no setback in the deal with Moscow.
Tensions between the US and Turkey have mounted in recent months with Turkey set to begin receiving the advanced S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system which Washington said will jeopardise Turkey's role in the US F-35 fighter jet program and could trigger congressional sanctions.
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Putin hailed growing bilateral trade and a rising flow of Russian tourists to Turkey.
Russia and Turkey have closely coordinated their actions in Syria, signing a de-escalation deal for the northwestern province of Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold.
Earlier, Erdogan met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel for around 25 minutes.
No further details of the either meeting were provided.
Erdogan is also expected to meet UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the second and final day of the gathering.
He will also attend a special session on the theme of "Women's Empowerment" and the final session of the summit with the theme “Climate Change - Environment and Energy“.
He will also hold a press conference at the Intex Osaka International Exhibition Center.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
