Report: US won't train new Turkish F-35 pilots due to S-400 deal with Russia

Officials warn training of pilots currently in America could also be halted over growing rift between Washington and Ankara

The US has decided not to accept further Turkish pilots for training on F-35 figher jets due to Ankara’s move to acquire advanced Russian air defense systems, according to a report Friday.

Unnamed US sources told Reuters that a decision had not yet been made to halt the work of six Turkish pilots and 20 ground personnel currently in the US for training, though that, too, was a very real possibility.

Ankara’s plan to buy the Russian S-400 system has been a major source of contention between NATO allies Turkey and the United States, which has threatened sanctions.

Last week, a top Pentagon official said the consequences would be “devastating” for Turkey’s joint F-35 fighter program and its cooperation with NATO if the country goes ahead with plans to buy the Russian missile defense system.

Kathryn Wheelbarger, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, said Ankara’s planned purchase of the S-400 would damage Turkey’s ability to work with the Western alliance, and force Washington to hit the country with sanctions.

“Let’s be clear. The S-400 is a Russian system designed to shoot down an aircraft like the F-35, and it is inconceivable to imagine Russia not taking advantage of that collection opportunity.”

Wheelbarger said the US believed Turkey was pursuing the deal to get Russia’s support against Kurdish rebels along its border with Syria.

However, she warned, “Once you introduce Russian systems, it really undermines our ability to continue helping them to defend themselves.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures while speaking during his and Russian President Vladimir Putin joint news conference following their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, April 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday Ankara would not withdraw from the deal made with Russia.

“We have made an agreement. We are determined. There is nothing like backtracking from that,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week that Turkey had already sent personnel to Russia for training.

On Wednesday US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Erdogan, in which they discussed the S-400 purchase, Erdogan’s office said.