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The U.S. Congress has “quietly” blocked all arms sales to Turkey for a period of approximately 2 years, in an attempt to further pressure Ankara to abandon its Russian S-400 missile defense system, Defense News reported, citing unnamed sources.
According to the report, four key members of Congress, collectively or individually have frozen the sales.
This mostly relates to two deals:
- A follow-on contract for F-16 structural upgrades;
- Export licenses for U.S.-made engines that Turkey needs to complete a $1.5 billion sale of attack helicopters to Pakistan.
If true, this is significant since the US is Turkey’s largest weapons seller.
Defense News learned of the situation from a half dozen sources in Congress, the administration, and the defense industry, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivities involved.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jim Risch, and House Foreign Affairs ranking member Rep. Mike McCaul, acknowledged they are part of the freeze after they were contacted by Defense News.
The two other lawmakers who can sign off on foreign military sales ― House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Menendez, are also part of the situation, according to the unnamed sources.
“There is serious concern over [Turkey’s purchase of the S-400] in both parties and in both chambers on the Hill, and until the issues surrounding this purchase are resolved I cannot and will not support weapon sales to Turkey,” Risch said.
“Turkey is a longtime strategic ally of the United States. That relationship has deteriorated dramatically in recent years and is quickly deteriorating further,” Risch said. “President Erdogan’s purchase of the Russian S-400 significantly changed the nature of our relationship. This purchase benefits our adversary Putin and threatens the integrity of the NATO Alliance.”
Engel has refused to sign off on military sales to Turkey since mid 2018, while Risch has maintained his own hold since Turkey officially took possession of the S-400 in July 2019, according to multiple congressional sources.
“Nobody has signed off on anything, roughly, for the last year,” said one congressional source. “Nothing moves in this process until all four of the offices have said, ‘yea.’”
A second congressional source described Turkey taking possession of the S-400 as “kind of, pardon my language, an oh shit moment.”
“Not only was it intentionally provocative, but it happened the day after Erdogan was in the Oval Office,” the source said.
Currently the US Congress appears dead set on sanctioning Turkey for the purchase and it might even be in such a way that US President Donald Trump can’t veto the decision.
“Right now, the mood [in Congress] toward Turkey is enormous,” the source said. “Unless Turkey wants to change the narrative and do a mea culpa, the president could very easily lose a veto override vote.”
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Menendez is an thoroughly corrupt snake. I can’t believe a weasel like him has a say in matters this important.
I agree
MikeH can believe in anything random. He is a Ludoman and has 12 wifes in 6 sountries paid by Trump.
You create Your own deep dark state well. Next the rest of the world will be blamed for it too.
“Citing anonymous sources” usually say a bunch of bullshit.
Sometimes its a frontrunner and named “sniffer to the oppinion about it too”.
And yet the Yanks have bug all to say about Greek S300 systems. When do they start sanctioning Germany for buying Russian oil and gas?
When are they going to sanction NASA for buying Russian rockets?
Thats already decribed for many years. Why dont You read about it. fx start searching what Merkel says.
NASA and West are Western Economics and no Russian old fashionate Russian Kombinate. Our succes is buying, selling and produce “best to the price”.
u produce nearly nothing—u r nearly as indebted as the USA. Russia and China possess billions in gold and have reserves…..u r only successful in producing bad cheese and potatoes…u r a fatuous shallow racist, sexually repressed—read Ibsen LOL
Don’t forget the Danish Bacon.
Wasn’t Himmler a failed pig farmer also!
Turkey should threaten to leave NATO and start buying Russia weapons.
It would appear they may well be turfed out of NATO if they keep targeting French naval forces with radar targeting, lol. France just announced a security pact with Cyprus, exercises with the Greeks, and shortly that they sunk a Turkish ship, rofl. With allies like that, what could go wrong!
turkey must be destroyed and divided
Greek S300 as objection yes BUT (what you forget that in those days Russia have had good relations with the West so there was no “sanctions” for buying Russian) Other examples has nothing to do with NATO So all in all you have to try harder than that..
CAATSA is not just about Russian weaponry, it includes economic targets.
Turk sanctions were only about NATO country buying Russian weapons. The rest is less comparable since Turkey doesn’t have other types of the acquisitions-sanctions except military one.
You can try to turn it any way around it was always about Turkey NATO member buying Russian AA system that is:
“NOT COMPATIBLE” with NATO systems and “DANGER to the SECURITY of US F-35 AIRCRAFT”
Turks buy food, gas and many other products from Russia, nuclear stations etc.
CAATSO applies through all economic activity with Russia and any other state in the world.
You try to obfuscate your argument, because your famous CAATSO has nothing to do with food imports regarding any country and when it comes to energy as well since US imports Russian oil on regular basis even as we speak(to replace oil from Venezuela that is similar to Russian)
And on top, nuclear station is already in process of building, based on contracts that were signed long time ago…long before the sanctions. Sanctions DO NOT apply retro actively on old contracts, just new ones.
Didn’t you say that you weren’t going to talk to me no more?
Can you stick to any point!
When you insist, I will, you are blocked ! BTW you didn’t have an answer on my argument that’s why you have switched subject. Good bye!
No I didn’t, but that’s my choice, so keep the block on little girl.
You only need to block once ffs, you’re like a girl squealing no while dropping her knickers, lol.
It would appear that Turkey’s American masters have decided that their servant has become insolent, so it is time to slap it down. Turkish military is totally dependent on US and NATO and will suffer immensely if supplies are cut. Turkey’s best option is to join the Eusasian powerhouses of China, Russia and Iran, that is where the world’s future lies.
That’s a brilliant move, put a stop to one’s best sales department for one’s own military products. Why didn’t I think of that ? Now Turkey has no source it can buy military technology, repair parts for it’s existing US made hardware, ammunition for its US made artillery, armor, tracked artillery, and some small arms. Turkey : Hmm…what to do…. ? With Turkey fighting on between 3, and/or 4 fronts, a reliable source of arms is critical to Turkey not being roasted. Turkey is not without the technology and capabilities to manufacture much of the arms it needs to continue prosecuting it’s wars. But, there’s good news, recent discoveries show a new source of the products Turkey, is in critical need. A source of higher quality, superior technology, that offer a much wider selection of capabilities, than it’s previous source. At lower pricing, with reliable delivery, and doesn’t behave like a bunch of petulant, entitled little girls. A delema, with no easy answers to be sure. Wait….WHAT ? Who said that ? The cognitive dissonance with this dude is exposed to public view… The answer is clear, and logical. Purchase Russian military hardware. Leave US Government to strangle itself,on lost trade. There’s one requirement, stop playing stupid games with Russia, and behave, in an acceptable business manner. It’s unwise to poke the Bear. Turkey may wish to reflect on it’s association with it’s current allies given it treats it’s allies as though they’re enemies.
Turkey at the crossroads.
The time is long past the the US pull any nuclear weapons out of Turkey and close our bases there or at the minimum turn them over to the UN to run.
NATO needs to be shut down and serves no purpose besides being a cash cow for defense contractors now that the Warsaw Pact is gone. I’m still waiting for the peace dividend Reagan promised.
Why on earth would Turkey accept UN forces replacing US army on their territory?!? And by whose authority?!!
American bases in Turkey are not property of the US so logically, after being kicked out they can only “turn them” back to Turkey and nobody else!
Rent.
Turkey does not provide basing rights for free, even as a fellow NATO country.
Rent in my modest opinion is nonsensical answer and for reason. First you make it sound as if it is up to US to decide who will replace them in those bases.
Than you switch completely, to the Turk rent as “real” motive.
There is no single country on Earth that has done anything similar to what you suggest (accepting UN forces for rent).
By whose authority would have been those UN forces sent?!? Since UN members never send the UN forces to the countries that are not in war?
The fact is that Turkey has no declaration of war against anybody yet.
So I don’t see that such situation is even in theory possible. Only war situations are absolutely only reason why UN as international body is voting presence of UN international forces to pacify some region or country. And act as separation force.
And they NEVER pay the rent while doing that !
Hello NiaND.
NATO forces and NATO-friendly forces actually needs to pay for supplies, accommodation and fuel.
During my time in the army, we did overseas exercises and hosted foreign forces and everytime the respective military/nation had to literally pay for supplies, storage and accomodation, not cash of course, it was all dealt with on party level, but they and we had to pay.
Even within the Danish Defence there is money going around; if the Army needs accomodation or supplies from the National Guard they have to pay, if one Regiment comes to visit or train at another Regiment they have to pay.
So i would never be suprised if NATO pays for bases, supplies and accomodation. How it works for UN operations i have no idea.
“How it works for UN operations i have no idea.”
The point is that subject was UN presence (UN is NEVER introduced to the countries, that are not officially in the war) . And UN never “pays” for accommodation for simple reason because they are situated most of the time on the “no mans land”- On the line of the separation between 2 sides in conflict.
Examples; Golan heights between Syria and Israel , Cyprus separation line between Cyprus Greeks and Cyprus Turks etc. etc… I doubt than NATO pays anything to anybody . They stay in their own camps built by them to be able to perform their every day surveillance duty of the separation line to prevent conflicts from re-starting.
So I was not talking about NATO bases, simply because they have nothing to do with the line of separation of countries in war almost always.
Thanks for your detailed explanation anyways Brian Michael Bo Pedersen.
You are welcome and thank you for your explanation too.
I recall that Turkey refused the US military access to its territory to facilitate the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Unless you’re willing to be a permanent slave to Washington’s ambitions, never rely on US arms for defense. They’re completely untrustworthy because they don’t respect/tolerate any other nation’s sovereignty (except precious Israel, who can do no wrong of course).
US relies on backward peoples—saudis, Danes etc to survive: US loans or gives them dollars to buy their inferior weapons in order to enrich their failed military industrial complex and their 17 unintelligence agencies (no other nation has more than 4)…they r designed to further stupefy the US public, a fearful, paranoid nation of “over conformist semi automatons”. David Riesman