The United States on Tuesday renewed its warning to Turkey that there will be consequences if it buys a Russian missile system, despite President Donald Trump's sympathy for the NATO ally's case.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting Trump last month that he was confident Turkey would not face sanctions for buying the S-400, after the Pentagon formally told Ankara to cancel the purchase by July 31 or be dropped from the elite F-35 fighter jet program.
"Turkey will face real and negative consequences if they accept the S-400. Those consequences include participation in the F-35 program," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.
"I think the secretary and the department have been incredibly consistent about that," she said, referring to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
She said that Turkish officials were fully aware of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law passed by Congress in 2017 that mandates sanctions for any "significant" purchases of weapons from Russia.
US officials fear that Russia will use the S-400's deployment in Turkey to hone the system's skills in shooting down Western planes.
Trump, after meeting Erdogan on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit, appeared convinced by the Turkish leader's assertion that former president Barack Obama did not allow Ankara to buy Patriot missiles.
"You can't do business that way. It's not good," Trump said.
In fact, Turkey in 2013 had picked a Chinese-made air defense system over the Patriots, citing its lower cost, but the deal collapsed.
Turkey warns US to avoid steps that harm ties over S-400
Ankara (AFP) July 10, 2019 - Turkey on Wednesday warned the United States against taking the "wrong steps" after the US State Department said there would be consequences if Ankara bought Russia's S-400 missile defence system.
"We are inviting the US to avoid taking the wrong steps which would exclude diplomacy and dialogue and harm relations," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It comes after the US renewed its warning to Ankara that there would be "real and negative" consequences if it completes the purchase of the S-400.
"Those consequences include participation in the F-35 program," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters on Tuesday.
She said that Turkish officials were fully aware of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law passed by Congress in 2017 that mandates sanctions for any "significant" purchases of weapons from Russia.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said after meeting US counterpart Donald Trump last month that he was confident Turkey would not face sanctions for buying the S-400.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the State Department warning did "not match the content and the spirit" of the Trump-Erdogan meeting on the margins of the G-20 summit in Japan.
"The conditions that prompt Turkey to acquire S-400 are apparent," it added.
Trump, after meeting Erdogan, appeared convinced by the Turkish leader's assertion that former president Barack Obama did not allow Ankara to buy Patriot missiles.
"You can't do business that way. It's not good," Trump said.
Washington has threatened to remove Ankara from its F-35 fighter jet programme, giving Ankara until July 31 to cancel the S-400 purchase or have its pilots kicked off the training course and expelled from the US.
Turkey has proposed to form a working group with the US to address the issue. "But we have not yet received a response to our proposal," the ministry said.
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Erdogan confident Turkey will avoid US sanctions over S-400s
Osaka, Japan (AFP) June 29, 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday he was confident there would be no US sanctions against Turkey over a controversial Russian missile deal, following reassurances from leader Donald Trump at the G20 summit. Ankara's push to buy Moscow's S-400 missile defence system has strained ties between the NATO allies, with the threat of penalities from Washington looming over Turkey. "We heard from him that there won't be anything like this (sanctions)," Erdogan told a press conference, ... read more
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