Ankara's attempt to keep an equal distance between Moscow and Washington appears to be turning dangerous. This, as the United States continues to call on Turkey to give up the Russian S-400 system, a State Department spokesman noted after Joe Biden's phone conversation with Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In response to an Athens News Agency question on whether the United States could consider lifting sanctions while the S-400 remains in Turkey, a US State Department spokesman said that Washington continues to call on Ankara to give up the Russian system.
He said Turkey's purchase of the S-400 system jeopardizes the security of US and Allied military technology and personnel, undermining NATO cohesion and interoperability. It also provides significant funds to Russia's defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry.
"The United States has sanctioned the Turkish Defense Procurement Agency (SSB) under Section 231 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction with Rosoboronexport," the State Department spokesperson noted.
Yesterday, during the telephone conversation between the two men, the Turkish president reportedly asked US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on Turkey's defense industry and speed up the purchase of 40 F-16 fighters and the modernization of the rest.
The US, however, does not seem willing to do so
Source: protothema.gr
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