US rhetoric on S-400 simmered down after Trump remarks, Turkish FM

The United States' rhetoric on Turkey's purchase of the Russian-made S-400 defense systems has softened following President Donald Trump's remarks at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday.

Stressing the importance of Trump's remarks in front of the press last week, Cavusoglu said that different statements kept coming from a variety of US institutions regarding the S-400 matter, but now "the different voices have begun to diminish."

"Trump's statement seems to have had an impact on Congress as well. We want to solve (the S-400 issue) through diplomatic means. The process (of finding a resolution) now continues in a calmer environment," the minister added.

Cavusoglu also reminded that the S-400 is "a defense system, not an attack system."

"It'll be used when there is an emergency. Why would the S-400 be activated as it just stands there, it costs a lot," he said.

Washington threatens to exclude Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet development program if it buys the S-400 systems but during their meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Osaka, Trump seemed to have a softer stance.

The report is baed on the Daily Sabah