MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia hasn't yet fulfilled a contract to send sophisticated S-300 air defense missile systems to Syria to avoid tilting the balance of power in the region.
Russian officials have acknowledged earlier that Moscow signed a deal for the delivery of the powerful missiles a few years ago, but have been coy about whether any of them have been delivered.
Syrian President Bashar Assad told the Lebanese TV station Al-Manar last week that Russia has fulfilled some of its weapons contracts recently, but he was vague on whether this included the advanced S-300s. Israel's defense minister told a parliamentary committee Monday that according to "Russian talk," the weapon has not yet been delivered.
Speaking after a Russia-European Union summit in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, Putin defended the S-300 deal, saying it complies with the international law, but added that Russia hasn't yet fulfilled it.
"It's perhaps the best such weapon in the world," Putin said at a news conference. "It's indeed a serious weapon. We don't want to throw the region off balance."
"The contract has been signed a few years ago. It hasn't been fulfilled yet," Putin said.
The U.S. and Israel have warned Russia against delivering the missiles, which would dramatically increase Syria's air defense potential.
