United States President Donald Trump has expressed his reluctance to punish Turkey for its recent purchase of the S-400 Russian missile defense system, saying it was “not fair” for the US, according to a report by Reuters on Tuesday.
The Turkish government last week started taking delivery of the Russian defense system, after months of warnings and threats to impose sanctions by senior officials from Washington against the deal.
In his first remarks about the next step the US would take after Turkey began receiving the Russian S-400s despite its strong disapproval, Trump emphasized that it is not fair for his country to be banned from selling Ankara the F-35 stealth fighter jets.
“Because of the fact that [Turkey] bought a Russian missile, we’re not allowed to sell them billions of dollars’ worth of aircraft. It’s not a fair situation,” Trump told the press at a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
The President reportedly seemed to put the blame on Barack Obama, his predecessor, for failing to sell Turkey the Patriot missiles made by Raytheon Co., which are America’s best alternative to the Russian S-400s.
Trump argued that Ankara was “forced to buy another missile system.”
He added: “We’re working through it, we’ll see what happens. But it’s not really fair.”
Army Secretary Mark Esper, Trump’s nominee to become the next secretary of defense, also commented on the issue on Tuesday, describing Turkey’s call to buy the Russian air defense system as “disappointing.”
“They have been a long-standing and very capable NATO ally, but their decision on the S-400 is the wrong one and it is disappointing,” he stated.
Speaking across town at his confirmation hearing to become Trump’s defense secretary, Esper also told a Senate committee that Turkey could not have both the Russian S-400s and F-35 advanced stealth fighter jets.
Esper underlined that he previously told the Turkish defense minister: “You can either have the S-400 or you can have the F-35. You cannot have both.”
“Acquisition of the S-400 fundamentally undermines the capabilities of the F-35 and our ability to retain that over-match in the skies going forward,” Esper further noted.
Turkey’s integration of the Russian S-400 system is regarded by the US, as well as the country’s other NATO allies, as a direct threat to the security of Lockheed Martin’s F-35, an aircraft Turkey is helping to build and planning to buy.
They argue that the Russian system is not compatible with the defense network of NATO.
Prior to the acquisition of S-400s, the ties between Ankara and Washington had already been frayed due to a number of issues that include the war in Syria, differences over Middle East policy and Turkish government’s demand that the US extradite Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Turkey risks US sanctions as Russian S-400 missile defense system arrives
The post US prohibition on selling F-35s to Turkey “not fair”, Trump says appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/07/17/us-prohibition-on-selling-f-35s-to-turkey-not-fair-trump-says/
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