President Trump’s administration is “blackmailing” Turkey to dissuade its NATO ally from purchasing Russian air defense systems, Moscow’s top diplomat protested Friday.
“The statement … that Ankara risks falling under sanctions if it purchases S-400 systems from Russia, is exactly an example of a blackmailing attempt in the hope that it will be possible to ensure unfair competition for American companies,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to TASS, a state-run media outlet.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government agreed in 2017 to purchase Russian S-400s, a long-range air defense missile system. The pact troubles other western allies, who worry about having Russian equipment nested alongside NATO equipment. It has also heightened the likelihood that Trump would have to sanction Turkey, pursuant to the 2017 sanctions bill designed to crack down on the Russian defense industry.
“We have been very clear that if a transaction occurs, there will be consequences under [the Russia sanctions law],” Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
That was one of the most forceful warnings yet from the State Department, which provoked Lavrov’s charge that the United States is trying to siphon business away from the Russian defense sector.
“What is important is that certain principles should be observed in this trade, first of all, the non-delivery of destabilizing armaments, the refusal to deliver weapons to non-state entities and that competition should be fair and unblemished and not based on illegally obtained advantages of unilateral sanctions,” he said.
Trump is loosening restrictions on U.S. companies selling conventional weapons to other nations, which the White House touts as a boon for “American job creation and innovation.” But the administration emphasized that the policy has strategic value.
“Partners who procure American weaponry are more capable of fighting alongside us and ultimately more capable of protecting themselves with fewer American boots on the ground,” Peter Navarro, who advises Trump on trade policy, told reporters Thursday. “Providing our allies and partners with greater access to American arms will also reduce their reliance not just on Chinese knockoffs, but also on Russian systems, consistent with the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.”
Turkey’s purchase of Russian air-defenses could also lead the United States to restrict the sale of F-35 stealth fighters and other military equipment.
“We’ve also been clear with regard to the consequences for potential participation in the F-35 program and more broadly our military-industrial cooperation with Turkey,” Mitchell said.
