Erdogan says he told Biden Turkey is not shifting on S-400s: state media

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar/File Photo

President Tayyip Erdogan said he told U.S. President Joe Biden at their first meeting that Turkey would not change its stance on its Russian S-400 missile defences over which Washington sanctioned Ankara, state media reported on Thursday.

Biden and Erdogan sounded upbeat after their face-to-face talks on Monday, although the NATO allies did not announce any major breakthroughs in disputes including the S-400s, Syria and other issues.

Speaking to reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan, Erdogan also said Turkey could take up "a lot more responsibilities" in Afghanistan after the planned U.S. and NATO withdrawal later this year, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)