Ankara is expected to activate the S-400s in the coming weeks, but Washington has not given up on its plans to get the much-feared weapons out of Turkey. Stick has not worked, apparently, so now is the time to offer some carrot.
The United States may come to Turkey's aid in Idlib in exchange for dropping plans to deploy Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
United States ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison floated the idea of providing an unspecified assistance “package” during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“We hope that Turkey will also not put the Russian missile defence system in their country; that is deterring some of the capabilities that we would be able to give them to fight against the Syrian aggression,” she said, without elaborating on what that package might comprise.
“We do want the area in Idlib, where the civilians are really trapped, to be protected, and I think the Turkish soldiers agree with that; they're trying to do it,” Hutchison added.
“So we hope that the Turks, because they're being the victims of Russian-Syrian aggression, will take out the missile defence system that is in the middle of Ankara and let us have the freedom to help them completely to protect those innocent civilians in Syria.”
Russia's advanced S-400 surface-to-air weapons systems have long been a thorn in the side of US and NATO military strategists. Turkey signed up for the…
