Turkey warns it’ll respond to US sanctions over S-400 purchase

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s foreign minister has reiterated that the country intends to respond to any US sanctions over its purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems.

However, Mevlut Cavusoglu tells Turkey’s TGRT television in an interview today that US President Donald Trump is reluctant to sanction Turkey.

Turkey began taking delivery of parts of the S-400 earlier of this month despite strong objections from the United States, which says the systems are incompatible with NATO and pose a threat to the US-led F-35 fighter jet program.

Last week, Washington suspended Turkey from the F-35 program and could impose sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA.

Cavusoglu says: “If the United States takes negative steps or goes further, we will have a response.”

— AP