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West Is in Danger of Losing Turkey, US Warns

Jeff Seldin

   The United States is warning Turkey against taking any additional steps
   to operationalize its Russian-made S-400 air defense system, warning
   there will be consequences even if that risks pushing Ankara closer to
   an alliance with Moscow.

   Relations between Washington and Ankara, which have soured in recent
   years, hit a new low last week when Turkish President Recep Tayyip
   Erdogan confirmed his military had [1]tested the Russian-made system.

   The announcement sparked condemnation from U.S. defense officials. A
   key State Department official said Wednesday that the risk of new
   sanctions against Turkey was "very real."

   "Sanctions is very much something that is on the table," Assistant
   Secretary of State R. Clarke Cooper told reporters.

   Not compatible

   Not only is the S-400 not interoperable with U.S. platforms, Cooper
   said, but "it is not interoperable with NATO."

   "Operationalizing such an asset or system incurs further risk of
   sanctions and further risks of restrictions," he said.

     "What we have here is efforts to get [2]#Turkey to walk back from
     operationalizing the [3]#S400" per [4]@AsstSecPM "Put it away,
     decommission it. Just do not integrate it and make it operable"
     -- Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) [5]October 28, 2020

   Turkey signed a deal to buy the S-400 air defense system from Russia in
   2017. The first deliveries began in July 2019.

   Since then, the U.S. has suspended Turkey from participation in its
   F-35'¯stealth fighter jet program'¯and has repeatedly threatened
   sanctions against Ankara, though none have been levied.

   Cooper on Wednesday indicated U.S. patience with Ankara might be
   running out.

   "What Turkey squandered over the last year is an opportunity to
   reconcile and get back into a good space and a good path with the
   United States and NATO," he said.

   U.S. officials'¯warn Turkey's'¯use'¯of the'¯advanced Russian radar
   technology could compromise'¯NATO's'¯military systems'¯and'¯could be
   used to target NATO jets in Turkey, including'¯the'¯F-35.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/europe/us-slams-turkey-s-400-tests-warns-serious-consequences
   2. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Turkey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/hashtag/S400?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://twitter.com/AsstSecPM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   5. https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1321522777145384965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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