Pentagon Steps Up Dispute With Turkey Over Weapons Purchase From Moscow

Source:New York Times Date:08Jun2019

In carefully choreographed steps, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan released a letter he sent Thursday to the Turkish minister of defense, Hulusi Akar, outlining the path the Pentagon is taking to stop Turkey from participating in the F-35 fighter program. The steps include halting the training of Turkish pilots on the advanced fighter jets starting July 31.

Yet…..

It has been difficult to determine if the United States and Turkey are serious about removing Ankara from the F-35 weapons program, or if each side is haggling for the best deal it can get on the Patriot. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has so far been insistent that his country is going ahead with its planned purchase of the Russian system. On Tuesday, he said that the United States had not given Turkey “an offer as good as the S-400s.”