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Turkey to Look for Alternatives if US Doesn't Deliver F-35s

by Associated Press

   ANKARA --

   Turkey's foreign minister says his country could look "elsewhere" if
   the U.S. doesn't deliver F-35 fighter jets.

   Mevlut Cavusoglu also said in an interview with private NTV television
   Tuesday that Turkey could consider acquiring more Russian-made S-400s
   or other systems to meet urgent needs if it can't purchase U.S. Patriot
   systems.
   Turkey's moves to buy the Russian S-400 technology have heightened
   tensions with Washington. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned that
   Turkey was risking its NATO membership and its participation in the
   F-35 program.
   Cavusoglu said: "If F-35s are not delivered, I would be placed in a
   position to buy the planes I need elsewhere."
   He added that a new U.S. offer to sell Patriots was "more rational"
   than a previous offer, but still didn't meet Turkey's expectations.