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Erdogan Seeks Out Trump to End Dispute on Russian Missile System

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is looking
   forward to a meeting with President Donald Trump to end the escalating
   crisis over Ankara's procurement of Russia's S-400 missile system. The
   expected meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan,
   is seen as the last chance to avoid a rupture in ties between the NATO
   allies.

   "The [presidents'] meeting is a turning point," said former senior
   Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen who served in Washington. "Why, because
   we have a deadline, for the first time we have a delivery date by the
   end of July, and the sanctions from Washington are ready to kick in.
   They are concrete; they are ready."

   Erdogan is playing down the threat of sanctions. "I don't know if NATO
   countries began to impose sanctions on each other. I did not receive
   this impression during my contact with Trump," Erdogan said Wednesday
   to reporters before leaving for Japan.

   Erdogan is expecting a breakthrough with Trump. "I believe my meeting
   with U.S. President Trump during the G-20 summit will be important for
   eliminating the deadlock in our bilateral relations and strengthening
   our cooperation," Erdogan told the Nikkei Asian Review, in an interview
   published Wednesday.

   Washington says the advanced S-400 missile system threatens to
   compromise NATO defense systems, especially the United States' latest
   F-35 fighter jet. Ankara faces exclusion from the consortium building
   the F-35 along with the purchasing of the plane.

   The first step in U.S. sanctions over the S-400 system saw Turkish
   pilots removed this month from training on the advanced jet.

   Erdogan is banking on his relationship with Trump to end the impasse.
   "Yes, Mr. Erdogan is reportedly one of Mr. Trump's favorite leaders
   around the world," said Selcen, who is now a regional analyst. "But
   then on various issues what Mr. Trump says on the phone or bilateral
   talks, does not necessarily coincide with what happens on the ground,"
   he added.

   However, Wednesday acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper warned
   his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, of the consequences of the S-400
   purchase.

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