President Donald Trump says Turkey will be banned from purchasing American F-35 fighter jets after it acquired a Russian air defense system but made no mention of sanctions that the United States is legally required to impose in response, worrying lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, CNN writes.
Trump misrepresented the developments that led Turkey to purchase the Russian system, blaming the Obama administration for the situation and sympathizing with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the “very tough situation that they’ve been forced in.”
“Because they have a system of missiles that’s made in Russia, they’re now prohibited from buying over 100 planes,” Trump said of Turkey during in a Cabinet meeting. “I would say that (F-35 manufacturer) Lockheed isn’t exactly happy. That’s a lot of jobs. And frankly I’ve always had a very good relationship” with Erdogan, Trump added.
In the tussle with Turkey over the Russian air defense system, a thorny mix of diplomatic and technological challenges are intersecting with the President’s affinity for strongmen leaders and his tendency to execute international diplomacy based on his personal relationships.
The result, said analysts and former officials, is that after months of Trump administration vows that Turkey will face sanctions for the Russian purchase, which creates a threat to US national security and undermines the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, those punitive measures are being put off by the President himself.
“The President is the clear cause of the delay,” said John Hannah, a senior counselor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “He doesn’t want to pull the trigger on sanctions and torpedoing Turkey’s purchase of the F-35 fighter jets. In the first place, he’s got an unfortunate affinity for Erdogan.”
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