Washington’s decision to exclude Turkey from an American-led fighter jet program goes against the “spirit of alliance,” the Turkish government says, calling on its NATO ally to reverse the decision.
In a major break with a longtime ally, US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday said Turkey is being kicked out of the F-35 program because it is buying the Russian S-400 air defense system. The United States says the S-400 would compromise the F-35 program and aid Russian intelligence.
In a statement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry rejects that assertion.
An F-35 fighter plane flies over the White House on June 12, 2019, in Washington DC (Eric Baradat/AFP)
“This unilateral step is incompatible with the spirit of alliance and is not based on any legitimate justification,” the ministry said. “Not only is it unfair to keep Turkey out of a program of which it is a partner but the claim that the S-400 will weaken the F-35 is invalid.”
The ministry says: “We call on the United States to come back from this mistake that will cause irreparable damage to our strategic ties.”
— AP
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