US urges Turkey to dump Russia's S-400 for Patriot missile system

The US is in talks with Turkey to sell Ankara the Raytheon Co Patriot missile defence system, as an alternative to the Russian S-400 system Ankara was poised to buy from Moscow, an official said on Monday.

US Ambassador and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Tina Kaidanow told journalists that a delegation of officials from Washington was holding meetings with allies in the hope of bolstering sales from American arms makers at the UK's Farnborough Airshow.

She said the US State Department was in talks with Turkey and "trying to give the Turks an understanding of what we can do with respect to Patriot". She did not say if the delegations were meeting at the air show.

This comes after concenrs from the US and its NATO allies regarding Turkey's push towards to Kremlin after Russia agreed to the sale of its state-of-the-art S-400 air defence system.

At the time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slated Western powers for their "hypocrisy" in opposing Turkey's acquisition of the system.

Many in Washington want sanctions slapped on Ankara if it purchases weapons' systems from rival Russia, due to Turkey's commitments to NATO defences.

Some lawmakers want to prevent Ankara from taking delivery of the 100 advanced US-made F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter jets it ordered.

But Kaidanow said a compromise would be to allow Turkey to purchase the best US military equipment.

"Ultimately we are concerned that by purchasing these systems from the Russians it will be supportive of some of the least good behaviour that we have seen from them (Russia) in various places including Europe but also elsewhere," she said.

She said Washington wanted to ensure that systems acquired by US allies "remain supportive of the strategic relationship between us and our allies, in the case of Turkey that is Patriots".

Ankara's decision follows almost half a decade of Turkish efforts to acquire such a system.