Erdogan Says If US Can't Haul Its Weapons Out Of Syria, Turkey Should Get Them



"If US is to take weapons out of Syria, they can, but if they won't, give them to Turkey, not terrorists," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a Turkish TV interview on Wednesday. It's the latest moment wherein Turkey's president has lashed out at Washington, and comes amidst tensions over the United States objecting to Russian S-400 anti-air defense systems being transferred to Turkey. Of that contentious debate, for which the US has held up delivery of F-35 stealth jets purchased previously by Turkey, Erdogan said emphatically, "this is over". 
He affirmed the Russian deal had already been inked with the first delivery expected in July. "We are an independent Turkey, we are not slaves," he said to Turkish broadcaster Kanal 24. Thus it appears the imminent transfer of the S-400s is a done deal, perhaps also sealing future years of permanently damaged US-Turkey relations, especially as at the same time Turkey rejected the recent US offer to sell American-made Patriot defense systems.
The advanced Russian-made S-400 air defense system purchased by Turkey has been seen as a threat by the United States, given the potential for compromising the F-35 advanced radar evading and electronics capabilities. 
The main argument for blocking the F-35 transfer is the fear that Russia would get access to the extremely advanced Joint Strike Fighter stealth aircraft, enabling Moscow to detect and exploit its vulnerabilities. Russia would ultimately learn how the S-400 could take out an F-35.
Meanwhile, the chief of US European Command, Army General Curtis Scaparrotti, told Congress on Tuesday that delivery to Turkey of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter should ultimately be cancelled if Turkey moves ahead with buying the S-400 systems from Russia. But it appears Erdogan's "this is over" comment was directed at the continued congressional debate.
"We're done, this is over," Erdogan said during the interview. "The deal has been finalized." 

Erdogan further warned Washington to cease from coercion or "disciplinary measures" in the form of sanctions or restrictive trade measures, noting Turkey has considered potential retaliatory measures. 
His somewhat comical and ironic remarks that US forces should hand over its weapons to Turkey and "not terrorists" also appeared a veiled threat as the Pentagon continues preparations for a broad troop draw down, however, leaving some 400 to 500 military advisers in place to support Kurdish-led SDF forces. 
Erdogan repeated prior statements suggesting the "deep state" is preventing Trump from a full withdrawal. Indeed just this week Trump voiced a full reversal in perspective, telling Congress in a White House letter he now agrees "100 percent" in keeping troops in Syria, though it's unclear what this will now entail in terms of numbers.