Washington: The Trump administration imposed sanctions Monday on Nato-ally Turkey’s main military weapons procurement agency as punishment for its purchase of a Russian-made missile defence system.
The sanctions were mandated under a 2017 law requiring them against any entity that engages in “significant transactions” with Russian defence or intelligence sectors.
The announcement came after Congress last week overwhelmingly passed the annual defence funding bill, which includes a provision ordering that the sanctions be imposed within 30 days. President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the bill.
Lawmakers of both parties had criticised the administration for delaying the sanctions following Turkey’s $2.5 billion purchase of the S-400 system in 2019, inaction that some attributed to Trump’s disinclination to offend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
US sanctions Turkey over purchase of Russian missile defense system postguam.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from postguam.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On
Dec 15, 2020
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Turkey on Monday over its multibillion-dollar acquisition of a Russian missile system.
In 2017, Turkish President Recep Erdogan brokered a deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the S-400 mobile surface-to-air missile system.
The S-400 system is said to pose a risk to the NATO alliance as well as the F-35, America’s most expensive weapons platform.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens to an interpreter as US President Donald Trump makes a statement for the press a meeting at the Palace Hotel during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 2017 in New York City.
(Russian Defense Ministry Press Service pool photo via AP)
The U.S. has imposed long-anticipated economic sanctions on Turkey for their purchase of the Russian S-400 mobile surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile system.
A NATO ally, Turkey’s action undermined the alliance’s defenses. The S-400 may be the only weapons platform outside of NATO that could shoot down America’s most advanced fighters, including the F-35.
Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan made the purchase to better protect itself from wars raging on its borders and to make the country’s defense industry more self-sufficient. But clearly, the decision to make the purchase was political. Turkey is making a statement about its sovereignty within NATO and other NATO nations are listening.
US sanctions Turkey over acquisition of Russian defense system 2 minutes read
Washington, Dec 14 (efe-epa).- The secretary of state of the United States on Monday announced sanctions against NATO ally Turkey over its purchase of Russian S-400 mobile ground-to-air defense systems.
The action was taken against the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), Turkey’s military procurement agency, under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), marking the first time the US has used that 2017 federal law against a fellow NATO member state.
“Despite our warnings, Turkey moved ahead with its purchase and testing of the S-400 system from Russia. Today’s sanctions on Turkey’s SSB demonstrates the US will fully implement #CAATSA. We will not tolerate significant transactions with Russia’s defense sector,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter.