Will Türkiye retaliate if the US stops arms sales?

"If the US imposes sanctions on us or makes similar moves, Türkiye will definitely retaliate,"RTquoted Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as telling the TV channelCNN Turk"What America needs to do is let this go."

"Türkiye is an independent country... Talking to such a country as a superior, deciding what we can and cannot buy is not a correct approach and does not fit our alliance," Mr. Cavusoglu stressed, referring to the fact that both countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The intention to halt arms sales to Türkiye was put forward by lawmakers in the US House of Representatives in a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act. The draft requires the US Department of Defense to provide Congress with a report on Washington's relationship with Ankara and would block the sale of key defense equipment to Türkiye until the report is completed.

The move could have a major impact on Türkiye, which plans to buy more than 100 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets from the US. Ankara is also in talks with Washington about buying Patriot missiles.

Cavusoglu said he planned to visit Washington next week to meet with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo, who has said he is concerned about Ankara's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system.

The S-400 purchase agreement was signed between Türkiye and Russia in December last year. The delivery of the system was scheduled to begin in 2020. However, after discussions with Cavusoglu in March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was ready to speed up the production and delivery process.