Turkey Can Purchase Russia's Su-35, Su-57 Fighters If US Does Not Sell F-16, Official Says

ANKARA (Sputnik) -Turkey can purchase Russia's Su-35 and Su-57 fighters if the United States freezes the sale of F-16 fighter jets, Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries chief Ismail Demir said on Monday.

"If the process [F-16 purchase and upgrade] does not bring results, then Turkey will not be left without alternatives. If necessary, the topic of Su-35s and Su-57s can be opened at any time. Our industry will do everything to ensure our security, and if something extra is needed, then we can always find a way out", Demir said on air of Kanal 7.

The statement was made after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said that Washington had invited Ankara to buy F-16 fighter jets as a return for its investment in the F-35 programme.

Last week, the Turkish presidential office said that Ankara would consider adding more F-16s to its air fleet in place of the more advanced F-35s after it was removed from the joint strike fighter programme.

A pair of RAF F-35B Lightning fighter jets flies over The English Channel during the "Point Blank" exercise after taking off from RAF Mildenhall, Britain, November 27, 2018

© REUTERS / EDDIE KEOGH

The conflict between the US and Turkey, which resulted in the removal of Ankara from the project, started after the Turkish government decided to purchase Russian-made S-400 air defence systems. In response, Washington cancelled the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey over claims that it could leak military secrets to Russia.