Russia delivered the ground-to-air S-400s defence systems last year
TLTP
WASHINGTON
The United States will impose sanctions on Turkey for acquiring Russian S-400 air defence systems.
The move, according to Reuters sources, will likely worsen the already problematic ties between the two Nato allies. The long-anticipated step, which is likely to infuriate Ankara and severely complicate relations with the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, could be announced any day, sources said.
The sanctions would be placed on Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries and its head, Ismail Demir, sources have said, and added the announcement was expected on Friday but could come any day.
The Turkish lira weakened following the news. US sanctions could harm a Turkish economy already struggling with a coronavirus-induced slowdown, double-digit inflation and badly depleted foreign reserves.
A senior Turkish official said any sanctions would backfire and hurt ties between the two Nato members.
“Sanctions would not achieve a result but be counterproductive. They would harm relations,” the official said. “Turkey is in favour of solving these problems with diplomacy and negotiations. We won’t accept one-sided impositions,” he said.
The US State Department could alter its plans and widen or narrow the scope of planned sanctions against Turkey, which has been a Nato ally for decades.
However, sources said the announcement of the sanctions in their current form was imminent and suggested that the United States was out of patience and finally ready to act. The US has warned Turkey in the past about sanctions requirements under the law.
The Pentagon referred questions on any potential sanctions to the State Department. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia delivered the ground-to-air S-400s last year and Turkey tested them as recently as October. Ankara said they would not be integrated into Nato systems and pose no threat, and called for a joint working group on the issue.
But the United States has stated that the S-400s do pose a threat and went so far as to announce the past year that it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet programme over the issue.
