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Ankara Defies Washington Over Russian Missiles

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - Turkey and the United States are seemingly closer to a
   collision course as Turkish media report Ankara testing a Russian
   anti-aircraft weapon system, despite threats of Washington sanctions.

   Turkish F-16 jets flew low Monday across the Turkish capital, in a
   two-day exercise reportedly to test the radar system newly acquired
   Russian S-400 missile system.

   Ankara's purchase of the S-400s is a significant point of tension with
   Washington, which claims the system poses a threat to NATO's defenses.

   "There is room for Turkey to come back to the table. They know that to
   make this work, they need to either destroy or return or somehow get
   rid of the S-400," a senior State Department official told reporters at
   a briefing Wednesday.

   The official added that sanctions could follow if Ankara went ahead and
   activated the system.

   Ankara's purchase of the S-400 system violated U.S. Congress's
   Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

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