Erdogan Vows To Abandon Dollar, “Doesn’t Need Permission” To Buy Russian Missiles

Another day, another angry rant by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed at the US, who on Sunday vowed Ankara would abandon the dollar in transactions with Russia and other countries, accusing the US of behaving like “wild wolves.”

“America behaves like wild wolves. Don’t believe them,” Erdogan told a business forum during the Turkey-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum in Kyrgyzstan, according to AFP.

Erdogan also echoed the dedollarization call from Russia’s deputy foreign minister Serkey Ryabkov, saying said that Turkey country was in negotiations with Russia over non-dollar trade.

“Using the dollar only damages us. We will not give up. We will be victorious,” Erdogan told the meeting, attended by Kyrgyz and Turkish businessmen as well as government officials.

On August 24, deputy foreign minister Serkey Ryabkovto Washington’s latest sanctions by accelerating efforts to abandon the American currency in trade transactions: “The time has come when we need to go from words to actions, and get rid of the dollar as a means of mutual settlements, and look for other alternatives,” said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov.

“Thank God, this is happening, and we will speed up this work,” Ryabkov said, explaining the move would come in addition to other “retaliatory measures” as a response to a growing list of US sanctions.

Erdogan also said that Ankara doesn’t need permission from anyone to purchase Russian S-400 missile systems, just days after the US once again warned the country against buying the hotly discussed air-defense system.

“We have made S-400 deal with Russia. Someone is offended by it. We don’t need permission from anybody,” the Turkish leader said in Kyrgyzstan.

Last Tuesday US Defense Secretary James Mattis warned NATO-member Turkey against buying the systems. “Turkey had a choice to make, a sovereign decision to make. But clearly Turkey bringing a Russian anti-aircraft, anti-missile system into a NATO country, we cannot integrate that into NATO,” Mattis said. “Yes, it does concern us and we do not recommend that.”