Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been enthusiastically showing off their close relationship amid worsening relations between Ankara and Washington.
Putin welcomed Erdogan to the MAKS-2019 air show near Moscow earlier this week to show off Russia’s latest fighter technology. With Putin keen to display Russian prowess and Erdogan to show independence from the U.S., the event was well covered by local media.
As the two leaders waited for their ice cream, Erdogan asked Putin if he would buy both. “Yes, of course. You’re my guest, aren’t you,” Putin replied genially. The president handed over a bill and instructed the server to hand the change to the minister for aviation development. Erdogan then tucked into his treat before nodding to the server, seemingly approving of the frozen snack.
Russian media has previously noted a trend of familiar faces at official events, the newspaper added, whether on fishing tips or at Christmas church services.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed suggestions that the woman was specially chosen to serve the two leaders. “I don’t even know if this is the same saleswoman,” he told reported on Wednesday. “This is not a question for us, as they say.”
Turkey, which helped fund the development of the F-35, had agreed to procure 100 fighters. Though it has now been formally removed from the project, its F-35 production responsibilities will not shift over to U.S. facilities until 2020.
Asked whether Turkey would purchase Russian planes, Erdogan replied: “Why not? We did not come here for nothing.”