US sanctions on Turkey 'inevitable' after apparent S-400 radar test
Turkish media broadcasts showed US-made F-16 fighter jets flying over Ankara Monday to test what appeared to be functioning Russian-made radars that are part of Turkey’s newly acquired S-400 missile defense systems.
The scene gave rise to speculation over whether the S-400s had been activated — a move that US officials have long threatened would trigger sanctions on Turkey. An unnamed Turkish defense official later confirmed the tests had taken place while speaking to Bloomberg News, and now Turkey observers expect lawmakers in Washington to punish Ankara for actions they say threaten NATO security systems, Al-Monitor reports.
The developments come less than two weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his American counterpart Donald Trump in the White House during an effort to ameliorate strained relations between the NATO allies. Though the two leaders have expressed an affinity for one another and Trump has so far shielded Ankara from repercussions following its S-400 purchase — as required under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) — members of Congress have introduced a multitude of sanctions packages that may soon be unleashed on Turkey.
Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara, said US sanctions on Turkey were “inevitable” after the radar tests.
“What President Erdogan managed to halt when he was in Washington will be reactivated,” Unluhisarcikli told Al-Monitor. “Turkey will be sanctioned and I don’t believe it will be limited to the CAATSA sanctions. Once the genie is out of the bottle, I don’t know where the US Congress will stop.”
Among the proposed sanctions packages are penalties on Turkish officials and the nation’s banking and energy sectors, as well as prohibitions on US purchases of Turkish sovereign debt. Some legislation would also require the US Treasury Department to estimate the personal wealth of Erdogan and his family members, while separate sanctions on Turkey’s state-owned HalkBank may also be enacted over the institution’s involvement in a scheme that helped Iranian entities skirt US sanctions on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Related news
- Russia hopes to agree new S-400 missile deal with Turkey next year
- Russian-made S-400 air defense systems to operate autonomously in Turkey - defense minister
- Turkey's S-400 systems to be ‘ready for combat’ by spring