Republican U.S. Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Michael McCaul, and Democratic U.S Representative Abigail Spanberger have introduced legislation to impose sanctions on Turkey over the purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems, according to a press release by Kinzinger on Friday, Ahval reports.
The bill introduced by the representatives, Countering Russia’s Export of Arms Act, “would designate this acquisition by Turkey as a significant transaction pursuant to Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA),” the statement read.
NATO members must uphold principles, duties and obligations of the alliance, Kinzinger said. “Turkey has continued to make questionable decisions that do not reflect leadership of a NATO nation.”
Last year Turkey purchased S-400 systems from Russia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that the country would have liked to purchase the U.S.-made Patriot systems, but that had not been possible. With bipartisan support, the U.S. congress pushed for sanctions against Turkey over CAATSA, but U.S. President Donald Trump halted the efforts at the time. However, Turkey was removed from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme led by the United States.
