Washington, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez said in a statement that Congress may pursue new sanctions against Turkey if the country acquires additional Russian S-400 air defense systems.
“We were crystal clear when we wrote the CAATSA [Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] law: Sanctions are mandated for any entity that does significant business with the Russian military or intelligence sectors,” Menendez said on Monday. “Any new purchases by Turkey must mean new sanctions.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara intends to buy another set of Russian S-400 air defense systems despite pressure from Washington.
Last week, Erdogan said the continuous pressure on Turkey over its purchase of the S-400 system is unacceptable. Erdogan pointed out that the United States made a mistake by refusing to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets under the pretext of the S-400 purchase.
(EW Correspondent)
