| U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque |
President Trump said on Saturday the United States had a “complicated” situation in how to respond to Turkey’s deal to procure Russia’s S-400 missile defence system, adding that possible sanctions were being discussed.
But Trump expressed sympathy with his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, blaming former U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration for placing conditions on Turkey’s purchase of Patriot missiles.
“We’re looking at different solutions. It’s a problem, there’s no question about it,” Trump said at the outset of a bilateral meeting with Erdogan in Osaka, western Japan.
Under the possible U.S. sanctions, Turkey faces expulsion from the F-35 programme among other measures that could deal a significant blow to Turkey’s already ailing economy and its defence industry sector.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that there were no setbacks in a deal to procure Russian S-400 missile defence systems, and added that “eyes are on the delivery process”, expected in the first half of July.
Turkey has dismissed the warnings and said it would not back down, and ties between the NATO allies have become strained.
Speaking before talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Japan, Erdogan said the deal for the S-400s showed improving ties between Turkey and Russia.
“Now, I believe eyes are on the delivery process of this issue, but there are no setbacks in our agreement here anyway,” Erdogan said.
He added that it was a priority for Turkey that the deal includes the joint production of the systems and a technology transfer.
Buying military equipment from Russia leaves Turkey vulnerable to U.S. retribution under a 2017 law known as the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
The United States also says the S-400s are not compatible with NATO’s defence network and could compromise its Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets, an aircraft Turkey is helping to build and planning to buy.
Trump and Erdogan are due to meet in Osaka later on Saturday, in a meeting that has been described as Turkey’s last chance to avoid the sanctions.
Erdogan also said it was important for Ankara to finish the first reactor in the Akkuyu nuclear power plant by 2023, adding that non-nuclear equipment at the plant should be procured from Turkey.
Akkuyu is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and is being built by Russia’s Rosatom along the Mediterranean coast, for a cost Erdogan has previously said would exceed $20 billion.
REUTERS