Turkey’s government must choose between purchasing Russia’s advanced air defense system, or staying a partner in the US’s costliest weapons program, the F-35 jet, the new chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee said, Bloomberg reported.
“For Turkey to remain in the F-35 program, it can’t move ahead with procurement” of the Russian system known as the S-400, Senator James Inhofe said in a statement.
Inhofe, who has succeeded the late John McCain as head of the Senate panel, commented in response to a Pentagon report, mandated by Congress, that warned “the administration will reassess Turkey’s continued participation as one of the eight partner nations should they continue their purchase of the S-400.”
“Turkey is an important NATO ally, but they need to act like it as well,” he said. “Turkey must make a decision between Russia and the West. If it moves ahead with buying the S-400 from Russia, there will be consequences.”