Trump to Take Up Russian Missile-Defense System With Erdogan
Trump to Take Up Russian Missile-Defense System With Erdogan
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss Turkey’s planned purchase of a Russian missile-defense system that has strained relations with the U.S.
The conversation will come on Saturday when the two leaders meet at the Group of 20 summit in Japan, said Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short.
“I think you can be confident that will be part of the conversation,” Short told reporters in Washington.
American officials are pressing Ankara to abandon its longstanding agreement to buy the S-400 Russian air defense system, vowing to cut off sales to Turkey of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 if it goes ahead with the purchase of what they say is a Russian missile designed to shoot down just such fighter jets.
The plans have drawn threats of U.S. penalties that, at their most severe, could cripple the ailing Turkish economy and create further strains between Washington and a crucial Middle East partner that relies on it for arms, U.S. officials familiar with the matter have said.
Erdogan has indicated he hopes to use his personal rapport with Trump to talk him out of barring F-35 sales and imposing sanctions.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Larry Liebert
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