Turkish defence official says Washington cannot unilaterally exclude Ankara from the F-35 programme

The head of Turkey's Defense Industries Directorate, Ismail Demir, says that under the partnership agreement, no single country has the authority to expel another. Washington recently warned Ankara would be withdrawn, if it did not cancel its plan to purchase the Russian S-400 missile system. But Turkey says its transaction with Moscow is a done deal. To pressure Turkey, the US has stopped training Turkish pilots, and suspended delivery of equipment for the F-35.