Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar during the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels October 21, 2021 (AFP)

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed that the Russian S-400 missile system is a defense system and will be used within NATO, akin to the S-300 system.

In a speech before the Turkish parliament on Tuesday, Akar spoke about the evaluation of alternatives in the event of US objection against Turkey's request for F-35 and F-16 fighters.

Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed a number of international and local files while presenting the draft budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2022) before Parliament, announcing the establishment of a Turkish-American working committee to discuss various files, notably the S-400 system.

Cavusoglu indicated that the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden, last Sunday, took place in a constructive atmosphere. He pointed out that "the US’ cooperation with the YPG/PKK, its harboring of (Turkish dissident) Gulen, and its position on sanctions related to the S-400 system, are not in line with the spirit of the NATO alliance."

During their last meeting, the White House revealed that Biden had expressed to his Turkish counterpart concerns about Ankara's possession of the Russian S-400 missile system. The US president assured Erdogan of his "made clear his desire to have constructive relations with Turkey and to find an effective way to manage our disagreements," according to an official statement from the White House.