Turkish President: U.S. Commits to Providing Turkey with Five F-35 Fighter Jets

¬ Trump: U.S. Will Lift Sanctions on Turkey — Washington Doesn’t Need to Impose Restrictions on Friends

+

U.S. President Trump stated that the United States will lift sanctions against Turkey, saying Washington does not need to impose restrictions on friends.

Speaking during a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Erdogan, Trump said: "I can tell you we will lift (sanctions against Turkey). We don’t want to sanction friends. That’s it."

In 2017, Turkey signed a contract with Russia for the supply of a S-400 air defense missile system, which it received in summer and autumn of 2019. The United States had urged Turkey to abandon the Russian system and instead adopt the “Patriot” system, but Ankara refused. As a consequence, Washington excluded Turkey from the supply program for the latest F-35 fighter jets and imposed sanctions on key figures in Turkey’s defense industry under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

+

Turkish President Erdogan stated that Ankara has received a commitment from Washington to provide five F-35 fighter jets.

On July 7, U.S. President Trump commented on the prospects of transferring F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, stating that Washington still needs to make a decision.

Erdogan said: "The F-35 issue is not new for us. We have discussed this matter with the United States and have already received a commitment to provide five aircraft."

Erdogan added that negotiations regarding the F-35 project are continuing within the framework of agreements previously reached between Ankara and Washington.

Turkey was once one of the participating countries in the F-35 international project and had invested funds into its implementation. However, after Turkey’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 system in 2019, the U.S. excluded it from the project. Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defense industry leaders under the CAATSA. Turkey has repeatedly expressed its willingness to resolve this issue and seeks either restoration of cooperation within the project or compensation for prior investments.

Source: sputniknews

Original: toutiao.com/article/1870069320333316/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author