Although Turkey is just one of a few NATO members that have been providing assistance to other countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this does not prevent the US from increasing its pressure on Ankara over the acquisition of S-400s, says Turkish political commentator Gaffar Yakinca, explaining why the US-led military bloc is facing a crisis.
On 20 April, the White House again threatened Ankara with sanctions over the deployment of the Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in Turkey, citing the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
“We continue to stress at the highest levels that the S-400 transaction is the subject of ongoing CAATSA sanctions deliberations and it remains a major obstacle in the bilateral relationship and at NATO”, US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told Reuters on Monday.
The US State Department's statement is “unacceptable and ill-timed” given the world's ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic, says Gaffar Yakinca, a Turkish political commentator and publicist.
Washington argues that the S-400 systems which were delivered to Turkey by Russia in 2019 are incompatible with NATO defence infrastructure and pose a risk to Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter jets. However, Ankara has made it clear that its decision to exploit the S-400 remains unchanged despite sanctions threats and the suspension of its participation in the…
