This is the only way to resolve differences with Washington, says David Satterfield.
Turkey’s rejection of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile systems (SAMS) is the only way to resolve differences on this topic with the United States. This statement was made on Friday by the US Ambassador to Turkey, David Satterfield.
“Turkey should abandon the S-400. This is the only solution that we will be able to defend in the US Congress,” the Bir Gun newspaper quotes him as saying.
Satterfield explained that this is “not a personal approach, but a requirement in accordance with US law.”
In early March, the head of the Turkish Defense Industry Department, Ismail Demir, said that Ankara continues to consider the possibility of acquiring a second regiment of S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
In 2017, Russia and Turkey signed a contract for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 systems. Turkey was the first of the NATO countries to acquire these systems from the Russian Federation. Ankara’s decision provoked a sharply negative reaction from Washington and the alliance as a whole. The United States does not stop trying to get Turkey to abandon the Russian air defense systems. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in October that Ankara does not intend to abandon the S-400, despite pressure from Washington. He also rejected threats of sanctions and suggested that the United States try to impose them in reality.
