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Turkey has to protect its airspace and the United States has failed to guarantee the sale of Patriot missile defense systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after a U.S. Congress delegation urged Ankara to give up purchasing S-400 missile systems from Russia to receive the F-35 fighter jets.

“We have to protect our airspace. This is a must for us. They should understand it. Can the U.S. give us a guarantee to sell Patriots?” Cavusoglu said in a press conference in Lithuania on Aug. 28, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

He also stressed international law regarding the U.S. reluctance to transfer F-35s to Turkey.

“We are a partner in the F-35 program and some parts are produced in Turkey,” he said, calling on the U.S. to “leave the language of threats” to solve the ongoing diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

“If they say they can do anything they want, like in cowboy movies, then they will get a response,” Cavusoglu added.

A three-member delegation headed by Congressman Michael Turner, a member of NATO Parliamentarian Assembly, visited Turkey on Aug. 27. The delegation met with Turkish parliamentarians and discussed the issues of Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 systems and delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

The congressmen urged Ankara to abandon procurement of S-400 systems to guarantee the delivery of the F-35s.