Turkey to be penalised over Russian missiles

The US will take the unprecedented step of imposing sanctions on a Nato ally when Turkey receives a Russian missile defence system, according to a state department official testifying before Congress.

The delivery of the S-400s will impair military cooperation between the United States and Turkey and will damage relations between the countries more generally, Wess Mitchell, US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, said on Tuesday in testimony to the Senate.

The US has been clear that the “acquisition of S-400 will inevitably affect prospects for Turkish military-industrial cooperation with the US, including F-35,” Mitchell said, referring to fighter jets that Turkey has ordered from the US.

The US Senate passed a bill last week calling for a freeze of arms sales to Turkey until assessment is made of military and diplomatic ties in light of its potential purchase of the Russian system.

THE PURCHASE OF THE S400 MISSILES HAS ADDED TO A LONG LIST OF ISSUES WHICH ARE STRAINING TIES BETWEEN NATO ALLIES TURKEY AND THE U.S.

The bill also called for assessment of impacts on other US weapon systems and platforms operated and developed jointly with Turkey, including the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike aircraft.

Turkey has argued that the S-400s aren’t a threat to allies and it would prefer to meet its needs within the Nato network.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has complained repeatedly that he was forced to seek alternatives after facing hurdles in obtaining weapons systems from the US and Europe under the conditions Turkey wanted, which included some local production and transfer of technology.