Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a vocal critic of the Turkish government in recent years, has repeated his wish to see Turkey sanctioned over its purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems in an article he penned for the Wall Street Journal, together with Senator James Lankford.
Senators Graham and Lankford recalled that Turkey has been an American ally since 1952 and Incirlik Air Force Base has been essential in the war on terror. "The Turks helped thousands of Syrian refugees. For decades Turkey worked to build a society open to people of all faiths, and stood against Russian aggression. But a valuable ally has drifted," they wrote.
The U.S. agreed to sell Turkey 100 F-35 jet fighters and include Turkish companies in manufacturing components of the aircraft. But three years ago, Ankara decided to purchase the Russian S-400 missile-defense system, designed to shoot down the F-35. Allowing Russian “advisers” to work near F-35s and giving the S-400 radar proximity to American stealth aircraft is unacceptable.
Diplomats, the Pentagon and senators warned Turkish government officials that there would be consequences. Now the U.S. president should now follow the law and levy sanctions against Turkish entities. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act requires sanctions against any country that engages in a "significant transaction" of defense assets with Russia, Iran or North Korea.
In Ocrober, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again reiterated that Turkey will not refuse from Russian S400 missile systems, noting that the United States was free to use any sanctions it liked.
