US says Turkey Patriot missile offer now 'off the table'

Relations between Turkey and the US have been frosty since Ankara's decision to buy the Russian S-400.

2 min read

23 August, 2019

The Patriot missile system is now out of reach for Turkey [Getty]

The US said on Thursday that an offer to Turkey to buy the Patriot missile defence system is now "off the table" after Ankara went ahead with the purchase of the Russian S-400, despite warnings from Washington.

A State Department told Reuters that an ultimatum to Ankara to buy the US Patriot missile system, rather than the S-400, had expired.

"We have consistently told Turkey that our latest offer of Patriot would be off the table if it took delivery of the S-400 system. Our Patriot offer has expired," the official said.

The US argued that the Russian S-400 poses a threat to NATO defences and urged member Turkey not to push ahead with the sale.

Turkey was expelled from the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jet programme, while the US has threatened to impose sanctions on Ankara.

Ali Bakeer wrote for The New Arab that the US fears NATO military intelligence could be shared with NATO.

"One of the main arguments about this particular point is that the Russian system allows Moscow to obtain intelligence information on the most advanced fifth generation multi-role fighter in the world," he wrote.

"According to Pentagon officials this would jeopardise the production programme of the fighter, hence the desire to protect it in the long run."

Turkey argues that the S-400 is much cheaper than the Patriot system.