Putin: Turkey Has Right To Choose İts Military Aircraft

By Emre Gurkan AbayST. PETERSBURG (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Turkey has the right to choose its own military aircraft, amid Ankara's deal to buy missile-defense systems from Russia.As a NATO member, Turkey decided to buy the best of its class with Russia's S-400 missile defense, Putin said. His remarks came during a meeting with officials of leading global news agencies, including Turkey's Anadolu Agency, as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.Metin Mutanoglu, Anadolu Agency's deputy director-general, also attended the meeting.Under an accelerated timetable for the S-400 deal, Russia's first deliveries of the S-400 to Turkey are due in late 2019 or early 2020.The S-400, Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system, can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets including ballistic and cruise missiles. -