Bloomberg:
The U.S. will take the unprecedented step of imposing sanctions on a NATO ally when Turkey receives a Russian missile defense system, according to a State Department official testifying before Congress.
The delivery of the S-400s will impair military cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey and will damage relations between the countries more generally, Wess Mitchell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, said Tuesday in testimony to the Senate.
The U.S. has been clear that the “acquisition of S-400 will inevitably affect prospects for Turkish military-industrial cooperation with the U.S., including F-35,” Mitchell said, referring to fighter jets that Turkey has ordered from the U.S. “A decision on S-400 will qualitatively change the U.S.-Turkish relationship in a way that would be very difficult to repair.”
