“The training of the personnel for the S-400 systems as well as the deployment of the systems are going as it has been planned. They will become operational in April or May,” Hulusi Akar said as quoted by Turkiye news outlets, Sputnik reported.

Russia and Turkey signed a $2.5 billion deal for the delivery of four S-400 batteries in December 2017. The delivery of all components of the S-400 air defense missile systems to Turkey was completed last year.

Turkey, however, has faced objection from the US that says the weapon system is incompatible with NATO security standards. Ankara has insisted that the S-400 systems would not pose a threat for the alliance and resisted US pressure to cancel orders.

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A senior official at the US State Department made the remarks during a press briefing on Wednesday, stressing that the India was not immune to Washington’s sanctions over the deal with Moscow, just like Turkey, which is also under the threat of US sanctions over a similar deal purchasing the same missile platform.

“There is not a blanket waiver. Congress certainly never designed that or anticipated that, nor did the administration,” he said.

The unnamed official stressed that some might wrongly think that since Congress designated India’s current military status several years ago, then, New Delhi enjoys “protection from any sort of sanctions.” However, this is a misinterpretation, he emphasized.

Taking any punitive measures against New Delhi would be adopted in line with the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), signed into law in 2017. The act, despite what its name suggests, has largely been brandished by Washington as a warning to allied nations mulling weapons deals with Russia – namely Turkey and India.

“While there’s not a blanket waiver, there’s also not a blanket application. And so what I mean by that is there is a case-by-case analysis on where CAATSA sanctions could be applied. CAATSA sanctions also can range in depth as to how deep-cutting and to the entities and the people. And those options are always there,” further said the US official added.

The S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away.

A number of NATO member states, the US in particular, claim that Russian-made S-400 missile batteries are not compatible with those of the military alliance, prompting it to threaten to impose sanction on Turkey, which has purchased the air defense system.

“The challenge we have with any state like India is new acquisitions on significant systems that would either put at risk our platforms or expose our technologies to an adversary. And so we said this very simple – Turkey was a perfect example,” the official added.

Moscow and New Delhi had signed an intergovernmental agreement on the sale of five units of the air defense systems during the 17th India-Russia summit back in October 2016 in the Indian coastal region of Goa.

During a visit to India on October 5, 2018, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed a contract with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to deliver the five regiment sets of the S-400 systems worth 5.43 billion dollars.

Back in February last year, Moscow said that India would receive “without any delays” the advanced missile systems and that Russia’s “commitments under the contract will be fulfilled.”

Moscow has promised to deliver the first s-400 missile system to India by the end of 2020.

India, for its part, has emphasized that it can make its own arms purchases independently, with its external affairs minister stressing last November that New Delhi would “not be influenced by other countries on what we do in terms of our national security and defense.”

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Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday in addition to Russian S-400 air-defense system, Turkey needs more systems.

The S-400 battery alone is not enough, Turkey needs new and additional air defense systems, Cavusoglu said in a joint news conference with his Somali counterpart Ahmed Issa Awad in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

He also reiterated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s earlier remarks that Turkey can purchase Patriot missiles, if the US guarantees it.

Responding to the criticism on Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 air-defense system, Cavusoglu said a product is not purchased for storage purpose, and that Turkey needs the system, Anadolu Agency reported.

Saying that the S-400 issue was mentioned during Erdogan’s recent visit to Washington, he said this is one of the issues that negatively affect Turkey-US relations.

Ankara received its first Russian S-400 missiles in July. The delivery of the first battery was completed on July 25, and of the second batch started in August.

In April 2017, when its protracted efforts to buy an air defense system from the US proved fruitless, Turkey signed a contract with Russia to acquire the S-400 anti-missile shield.

Opposing deployment of the Russian system, US officials argued that they would be incompatible with NATO systems and would expose its F-35 jets to possible Russian subterfuge.

Turkey, however, stressed that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems, and posed no threat to the alliance or its armaments.

Turkey also proposed a commission to clarify any technical issues, but the US has failed to respond.

Turkey has rebuffed suggestions from US leaders that it leave the Russian S-400 system unactivated in order to avoid possible US sanctions.

The S-400 is seen as one of the most advanced missile systems in the world, capable of tracking several targets simultaneously.

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According To Iran News, Turkey has announced it will test the S-400 missile defense systems it purchased from Russia in Ankara on Monday and Tuesday as the row with the US deepens.

Turkish media have reported that the Turkish military would fly its fighter jets near the Mürted Air Base on Monday and Tuesday to test the S-400’s radar systems at the heart of the row with the United States.

The Ankara Governorate announced late Sunday that the test flights will be conducted near the capital in the next two days, Daily Sabah said in a report on the matter on Monday.

Russia delivered two batteries of the S-400 system to Turkey between July and September.

Following protracted efforts to purchase an air defense system from the US with no success, Ankara signed a $2.5 billion contract in 2017 to purchase the Russian S-400s.

The Russian missile system purchase has been a sticking point between Turkey and the U.S. for some time as Washington has argued that the S-400 system would be incompatible with NATO systems. Turkey, however, emphasized the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance and rejected stepping back from the deal.

Security sources earlier suggested that the Russian systems will be deployed in Ankara and will be fully operation by April 2020.

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Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 systems has been a major factor souring relations with the United States, which says the system is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter jets.

The provincial governor’s office announced on Sunday that the Turkish Air Force F-16s and other aircraft will conduct low- and high-altitude flights over Ankara on Monday and Tuesday to test an air defense system project.

Broadcaster CNN Turk and other media said specifically that the flights were to test the S-400 radar system. Ankara began receiving the S-400s last July but they are not yet operational.

Dealers said the reports had a negative impact on the lira, which weakened to 5.7380 against the dollar from a close of 5.7140 on Friday, Reuters reported. Tensions in US-Turkish relations played a major role in a near 30% slide in the lira’s value last year.

As recently as last Thursday, a senior US State Department official told reporters Turkey needed to “get rid of” the system. Those comments came after President Tayyip Erdogan met US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Trump said their talks were “wonderful” but it was unclear if the two NATO allies made any breakthrough on the S-400 issue and Erdogan subsequently said US pressure to get rid of the S-400s was an infringement of sovereign rights.

Washington has suspended Turkey from the F-35 program, which it was a buyer and producer of, to punish it for the S-400 purchase. It has warned of possible US sanctions over the deal but has not yet imposed them.

Trump has told Erdogan the United States is ready to sell Ankara US Patriot systems if it drops the Russian system.

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According To Iran News, Delivery of a second batch of Russian S-400 missile defense systems to Turkey may be delayed beyond a planned 2020 timeline by talks on technology sharing and joint production, the head of Turkey’s Defense Industry Directorate said on Monday.

NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been at loggerheads over the purchase of the S-400 system, which Washington says is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to its Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets.

Despite Washington’s warnings and threats of US sanctions, Turkey started taking delivery of the first S-400 batch in July. In response, Washington has removed Turkey from the F-35 program, in which Ankara was a manufacturer and buyer.

Washington still hopes to persuade its ally to “walk away” from the Russian systems.

“We are planning a timeline for next year. As opposed to the first (batch), there is joint production and technology transfer here. It is beyond the ‘let’s buy it quickly and install it’ of the first system,” Ismail Demir told broadcaster NTV.

“The joint production concept may move the timeline. We have some sensitivities regarding some of the production being here. Technical work continues,” he said, Reuters reported.

Despite the threat of US sanctions over Ankara’s move to buy the Russian systems, Turkey has indicated it could procure Russian fighter jets if the United States refuses to deliver the F-35 jets it has purchased.

On Monday, Demir said Russia had offered to sell Turkey its Su-35 fighter jets.

“There is an offer and we are evaluating it. There cannot be such a thing as ‘we’re buying tomorrow’ in such matters. The offer’s financial and strategic aspects will be examined, there cannot be an immediate decision,” Demir said.

“It would not be right to say ‘the F-35 era is closed, the Su-35 era is beginning’, but we will evaluate the offer,” he said.

Ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained over issues such as Turkey’s offensive into northeastern Syria. Turkey has also been outraged over a decision by the US House of Representatives to support sanctions on Ankara over its incursion and to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as “genocide”.

Despite this, Demir said Turkey was still open to offers by the United States to buy US Patriot missile defense systems as long as they met Ankara’s conditions.

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The surface to air-missile regiment of the Northern Fleet’s air defense forces based on the archipelago’s southern Yuzhny Island has been fully equipped with new S-400 systems, the fleet said, AFP reported.

The regiment was earlier equipped with S-300 systems, a previous version of the missile.

The S-400 is one of the most advanced missile defense systems in the world and can hit enemy targets at up to 400 kilometers.

Over the past few years Russia has significantly upgraded its military infrastructure in the Arctic.

In addition to the Novaya Zemlya forces, the country has stationed troops in the Franz Josef Land, the New Siberian Islands and several other places.

Russia has increasingly asserted itself as an Arctic nation, proclaiming the region as a top priority due to its mineral riches and strategic importance.

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Turkish president also reiterated that the US sanctions against Iran don’t help restoration of regional peace and stability.

Elsewhere in his address, Erdogan said that Turkey’s counter-terrorism offensives will move forward to a “different phase” in northern Syria soon.

“We’ll move the process which we started with the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations [in northern Syria] forward to a different phase very soon,” Anadolu quoted Erdogan as saying.

“If needed, Turkey will absolutely protect its national interests [in Syria] either via dialogue, soft power, coercive diplomacy instruments or realpolitik,” he stressed.

Erdogan went on to say that country’s procurement of the Russian S-400 missile defense system was a “commercial” rather and “strategic” move, and criticized the US and EU for their biased reactions as they did not give the same response to the NATO members that previously bought S-300 system.

The attitude of Turkey’s allies forced Turkish administration to buy Russian defense system, he added.

Although Turkey wanted to buy US Patriot missile system earlier, Washington did not respond positively when they were needed the most, according to Turkish officials, therefore Ankara initiated talks with Russia over purchase of Russian S-400 defense system.

Since 2017, Turkey and the US have been at odds over Turkey’s decision to buy the S-400 and the U.S. threats to break its contract to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets over the dispute.

The US claims the S-400 will be incompatible with NATO systems, an argument Turkey disputes.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that it is up to Turkey to make its own decisions on weapons systems purchases.

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“We are cooperating with partners and potential partners, regardless of who likes it and who doesn’t like it,” he added. “It’s business. It’s just business ties,” he stressed.

“A Russian journalist asked me: ‘If the Americans don’t give the F-35 to Turkey, does it mean you will provide the Su-35?’ And I said: ‘No, it doesn’t work that way.’ In the first place, it will be decided by the Turkish,” Kladov said.

In November 2016 reports said that Turkey will purchase Russia’s S-400 missile defense systems. In September 2017 Russia confirmed that a contract was signed with Turkey on S-400 delivery. In June 2018 a military-diplomatic source told TASS that Russia’s defense companies are working to complete S-400 deliveries to Turkey in May 2019.

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The US administration made its offer before February 15, and then increased the price of the multi-billion dollar system in return for quick delivery, according to the officials who are familiar with the talks but not authorized to speak to the media, Bloomberg has reported. The proposal didn not include a loan agreement nor a technology sharing pact, a key Turkish demand, they said.

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