FILE PHOTO: Russian S-400 missile air defence systems are seen before the military parade to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the battle of Stalingrad in World War Two, in the city of Volgograd, Russia February 2, 2018. REUTERS/Tatyana Maleyeva

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will speed up initial deliveries of S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries to Turkey, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, speaking at a press conference in Moscow together with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Russia and Turkey agreed in December that Moscow would begin supplying the missile systems in the first quarter of 2020.