Ankara, November 20: If the US stance on delivery of F-35 fighter jets does not change, Turkey would be forced to "look elsewhere" to meet its defense necessities, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. "If the current disagreement on F-35 fighter jets continues, Turkey must look elsewhere to meet its medium-term needs," Erdogan said while addressing his party members at the parliament on Tuesday.

The Turkish president was referring to his meeting last week with US President Donald Trump in Washington. Turkey would not step back from its deployment of the Russian S-400 air defense systems, Erdogan said. Donald Trump Ignores Impeachment to Host Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"There are efforts to turn the S-400s into a key problem of the bilateral matters. We have agreed (with Trump) to seek ways to resolve the S-400 issue through our officials we have instructed," he stated.

Turkey's procurement of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems prompted the Trump administration to suspend Ankara from the F-35 fifth-generation joint strike fighter program in July. Russia has expressed its readiness for a potential agreement with Turkey on the sale of Russian Su-35 or Su-57 aircraft.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2019 09:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).