US threatens to withhold arms if Türkiye buys Russia's S-400
The US State Department reiterated that Türkiye's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense missile system could lead to a denial of advanced technology, suspension of participation in the US fifth-generation fighter jet program and sanctions on the F-35.
Sanctions against Ankara, as US State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino explained, could be introduced under the US law "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions" (CAATSA).
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| Türkiye has said it will not withdraw from the S-400 deal with Russia. |
The agreement with Moscow on the supply of S-400 air defense missile systems to Türkiye was signed by Turkey in December 2017. According to the statement of the head of the state corporation Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, under the agreement Russia will sell four S-400 units worth $ 2.5 billion. Türkiye will pay part of the agreement for itself and part of it — at the cost of a Russian loan.
The purchase of the S-400 has caused a diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington, which has demanded that its Turkish allies buy the US Patriot air defense system instead of Russian complexes.
