Russia says S-400 deal’s implementation in ‘full swing’

MOSCOW (AA): Implementation of the deal for the delivery of Russia’s S-400 air defense system to Turkey is in full swing despite U.S. pressure, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference in the southern resort city of Sochi, Ushakov said Moscow is aware of U.S. attempts to persuade Turkey to suspend the deal.

“What the Americans insist, we know. But implementation of the agreement, which was reached a few months ago, is in full swing,” he said.

He added that during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the idea of Russian-U.S. presidential contacts on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka in late June.

“We touched in general on the possibility of contacts between the presidents of Russia and the United States, particularly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan. We said we are open to any contacts and will wait for the specification of the proposal,” Ushakov said.

Ushakov said Putin and Pompeo also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, praising the interaction between the two sides over the issue.

“At the same time, our president noted that the Afghan settlement is a rather difficult issue. The process is difficult, and the Taliban’s positions are even strengthening. Here we need to interact more actively to achieve a balance of power in this country,” he said.

Pompeo arrived in Sochi on Tuesday to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. He also held 90 minutes of talks with Putin.