Turkey’s missile purchase draws fire

   The U.S. government is increasingly hinting at imposing trade sanctions against Turkey in response to its recent purchase of a Russian-made surface-to-air missile system.
   “Turkey has been a longstanding and trusted partner and NATO ally for over 65 years, but accepting the S-400 undermines the commitments all NATO allies made to each other to move away from Russian systems,” a White House press secretary statement Wednesday said. 
   “This will have detrimental impacts on Turkish interoperability with the alliance,” the White House warned. 
   However, the White House added that the U.S.-Turkish military relationship remains “strong and we will continue to cooperate with Turkey extensively, mindful of constraints due to the presence of the S-400 system in Turkey.”
   The White House also will stop the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, stating, “The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities.”
   Members of Congress have asked President Donald Trump to take action against Turkey in the form of trade sanctions for its purchase of the Russian missile system.
   “We urge President Trump to fully implement sanctions as required by law under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act,” said Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a Friday statement.
   “Additionally, while all F-35 material deliveries remain indefinitely suspended, we call on the Department of Defense to proceed with the termination of Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program,” the senators said.