Intel: Why Turkey is intent on proceeding with Russian arms deal

The first shipment of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system will arrive in Turkey “within one week or 10 days,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday.
A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar - RC11938EDE40
A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia, March 11, 2019. - REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The first shipment of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system will arrive in Turkey “within one week or 10 days,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday, a day after President Donald Trump came to his defense on the volatile matter.

Why it matters: The delivery will be hard evidence that Turkey’s arms deal with Russia is going forward, paving the way for US sanctions against Ankara under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

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