The United States urged Friday, October 1, Ankara not to buy any more weapons from Moscow, at the risk of damaging their relations, after the tensions caused by the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system by Turkey.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the first time in 18 months on Wednesday, said they raised the possibility of greater military cooperation. “We urged Turkey at all levels and on all occasions not to keep the S-400 system and to refrain from purchasing any additional Russian military equipment.State Department number two Wendy Sherman told reporters when asked about Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s trip to Sochi. “We continue to make this clear to Turkey, and to tell them what the consequences will be if they go in this direction.Added Wendy Sherman, who was visiting Switzerland. She also reaffirmed that the S-400 was “neither compatible nor usable with NATO systems».
NATO member Turkey defied US warnings by purchasing the Russian S-400 air defense system, raising concerns in the Western alliance that the contract would allow Russia to hone its skills in the field. targeting American planes and countries in Western Europe. In response, Washington had imposed sanctions on Turkey and removed it in 2019 from its state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets program, in which several Turkish companies were involved and through which Ankara hoped to obtain until ‘to 100 planes.
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But Wendy Sherman ensured that the relationship with Turkey was important to the United States, highlighting their reception of millions of Syrian refugees and the help offered for the management of the Kabul international airport. “Turkey is sometimes a challenge. I’m sure they find the United States a challenge sometimes. But they are a precious ally of NATOSaid Wendy Sherman. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that his relationship with Joe Biden had “bad start“. Before taking power, the US president called the Turkish leader an autocrat and expressed his support for the opposition.
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