WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States’ top military officer said on Thursday he was hopeful that Washington would find a way to resolve a dispute with Turkey over its decision to acquire Russia’s S-400 air defense system but cautioned: “It is a tough issue.”

General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked about a Reuters report suggesting the Pentagon could soon pause preparations to deliver advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

He responded, “Both the executive branch of our government and legislative branch of our government are going to have a hard time reconciling the presence of the S-400 and the most advanced fighter aircraft that we have, the F-35.”

“We’re hopeful that we can find a way through this, but it is a tough issue,” the Marine general told a security forum in Washington.

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