US senators demand sanctions on Turkey about Russia’s S-400 projectile system
A Republican and a Democratic US senator appealed on Wednesday the administration of President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Turkey about its purchase of Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft system, after a report indicated that Turkey may be planning for a complete test.
Indeed, Republican James Lankford and Democrat Chris Van Hollen wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for asking about the report and indicating that the failure of Washington to act more definitively about the S-400 purchase had emboldened Turkey’s government.
Otherwise, Turkey bought a group of missile systems from Russia last year, which lead to its suspension by Washington from the US F-35 stealth fighter jet program. The United States has announced that Turkey risks US sanctions if it deploys the Russian-made S-400s, however it has not yet imposed them, and the State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
Bloomberg declared on Tuesday citing people familiar with the matter that Turkey was planning to make a complete test of the S-400 missile-defense system.
