The Trump administration on Monday announced that it was imposing sanctions on Turkey for its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, in a move set to further strain NATO’s relations with a critical but often problematic member. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions on Ankara under the 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the first time the U.S. has penalized an ally under the law.
U.S. and NATO officials have expressed alarm that Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 system could give Russia an inside look at NATO’s defensive capabilities and strategies. Ankara says it turned to Moscow in part because the U.S. would not share technology on a comparable missile system that it was offering to the Turks.
“The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry,” Mr. Pompeo said.
The move comes just days after leaders of the European Union — which does not include Turkey — moved to authorize their own sanctions against Ankara in an increasingly bitter dispute with Greece and Cyprus over energy drilling rights in the Mediterranean.
The U.S. sanctions target four of Turkey’s top defense officials, including Ismail Demir, president of the country’s top military procurement agency, freezing any U.S. assets they may have and prohibiting them from entering the country.
The U.S. move also bans most export licenses, loans and credits to Turkey’s defense industries, a key sector of the economy for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Despite repeated demands from Washington that Turkey reject Russia’s offer to purchase the advanced weapons system, the Erdogan government acquired the S-400 last year in a deal worth upward of $2 billion.
Turkey announced a first testing of the installed Russia system two months ago, but the U.S. held off on sanctions as it tried to negotiate a compromise. The decision to purchase the Russian system has already resulted in Turkish firms being shut out of the global contracts to build the Pentagon’s new, F-35 Lightning II fighter jet.
Defense and intelligence experts as well as a handful of lawmakers have cautioned that the Russian system can be used to spy on and shoot down the F-35 aircraft.
Mr. Pompeo on Monday said the sanctions “send a clear signal” that the U.S. “will not tolerate significant transactions with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors.” Turkey’s foreign ministry quickly slammed the U.S. penalties and said it “condemns and rejects” the sanctions. “Turkey will take the necessary steps against this decision, which will inevitably affect our relations in a negative way, and reciprocate in a way and time it sees fit,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry reiterated previous claims that the Russian system will not impact NATO defense systems and demanded the U.S. “turn back as soon as possible from this bad mistake.” Fahrettin Altun, the head of communications for the Turkish presidency, called the U.S. move “unreasonable, fruitless, and ultimately incompatible with the spirit of our partnership.”
While Russia and Turkey have historically been rivals for influence across a broad swath of territory, military analysts in Moscow say the government of President Vladimir Putin is happy to work with Mr. Erdogan if the result in a more dysfunctional NATO.
The sanctions come just weeks before President-elect Joseph R. Biden takes office. Turkey boasts one of the strongest, best-financed militaries in NATO, but the Erdogan government has repeatedly clashed with its NATO partners in recent months on issues ranging from Russia and the Syrian and Libyan civil wars to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and energy rights in the Mediterranean.
Mr. Biden has previously suggested that he supports penalties on Turkey for its acquisition, and many congressional Democrats faulted Mr. Trump for not acting sooner and more decisively against Mr. Erdogan. In a call with reporters, State Department arms control point man Christopher Ford said that the administration had attempted to find a compromise with Ankara, but none emerged.
“We very much regret that this has been necessary,” he said. “This is not a step we’ve taken lightly or certainly quickly.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch, Idaho Republican, praised Monday’s sanctions as “long overdue.”
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the panel, also praised the sanctions and said that he is “glad to see the Trump [administration] finally impose long overdue sanctions on Turkey” over the S-400 despite what he called “dangerous and inexplicable delays.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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