According to Bloomberg, US President Donald Trump has signed sanctions against Turkey for the deal with Russia to buy the S-400 missile system, a move that makes the EU look rather timid and ineffectual as it refrained from adopting a similar line, even though two of its member-states, Greece and Cyprus, are facing the direct threats from Turkey.
As the Bloomberg piece reports,
The U.S. plans to impose sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of S-400 missiles after years of drama that began with the NATO ally’s decision to buy the air-defense system from Russia in 2017.
President Donald Trump has signed off on a package of measures recommended by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, according to two people familiar with the matter. The people didn’t say what the sanctions would include.
The sanctions would be imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, known as CAATSA. Trump, who has long highlighted his personal rapport with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had resisted bipartisan calls from Congress to punish Turkey for its deal with Russia.
The White House National Security Council didn’t respond to a request for comment. Officials at the Treasury Department and State Department also didn’t respond.
The lira fell after Reuters earlier reported that the sanctions would likely target Turkey’s defense officials, including the chief of the top defense procurement agency. The currency dropped as much as 1.7% on Friday and was trading 1.4% lower at 7.9930 per dollar at 12:14 p.m. in Istanbul.
Ankara has argued that the air-defense system is an urgent need given the military conflicts surrounding the country, and said allies including the U.S. failed to offer it any alternatives — such as the Patriot system — on terms acceptable to Turkey.
more at Bloomberg.com
