Erdogan: We're closely watching the US pullout from Syria

Turkey will never turn back from a deal to purchase S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday (March 6), adding that Ankara may subsequently look into buying S-500 systems, DS reported.

"We concluded the S-400 issue, signed a deal with the Russians, and will start co-production. Later, we may work with S-500s," the next generation system, Erdogan said.

In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 24, Erdogan said that the United States should not try to discipline Turkey through trade measures, adding that Turkey had its own measures prepared.

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey's allies should not interfere in Ankara's purchase of defense systems from non-NATO countries.

On the issue of the proposed safe zone in northern Syria, Erdogan said giving control of the area to anyone else other than Turkey was out of the question.

He also said that if the United States could not take back the weapons it had given to the PKK's Syrian wing the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, it should give them to Turkey instead of terrorists.

"We're closely watching the US pullout from Syria," Erdogan said, but added that no steps had been taken yet.

In December, Trump announced that the US would withdraw its troops from Syria, saying that ISIS was defeated.