Turkey’s potential acquisition of Russian anti-aircraft systems could damage its alliance with the United States to a degree that is “difficult to repair,” a senior State Department official told lawmakers Tuesday.
“This has the potential to spike the punch,” Assistant Secretary Wess Mitchell told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee.
Turkey has been a critical member of NATO since 1952. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s shift toward authoritarian rule has strained ties to the United States, and disagreements over the counter-ISIS strategy and a failed coup that Erdogan blamed on western powers have provoked some of the most serious disputes. Erdogan’s interest in purchasing advanced Russian weaponry, particularly the S-400 surface-to-air missiles, could take the clashes to an historic level.
“I think we can’t be any clearer than saying that, both privately and publicly, that a decision on the S-400 will qualitatively change the U.S.-Turkish relationship in a way that will be very difficult to repair,” Mitchell said.
Erdogan’s team has dismissed U.S. warnings publicly, even as American officials warn that the acquisition of the S-400 would trigger American sanctions and jeopardize Turkey’s access to the U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighter jet. Some Turkish officials have even hinted at purchasing Russian fighters in lieu of the American planes. Russia, meanwhile, argues that the American officials are trying to boost the U.S. defense industry.
“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 in April.
But Turkey’s reliance on Russian anti-aircraft defenses would create an intelligence risk for the American military’s most advanced fighters, U.S. leaders worry. “Turkey’s acquisition of both systems would allow the Russians to more easily evaluate the capabilities of the F-35 and detect and exploit its vulnerabilities,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said last week. “That is unacceptable.”
Democrats and Republicans are making efforts to pass legislation that stipulates Turkey will be disqualified from access to the F-35 if Erdogan proceeds with the S-400 plan. That purchase would trigger U.S. sanctions on Turkey for violating U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia’s defense industry, Mitchell also emphasized.
“Acquisition of the S-400 – which we would assess to have occurred when there’s an actual delivery of the technology – we’ve been clear on multiple occasions with the highest levels of the Turkish government that there will be consequences,” he said.
