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Ankara has gone ahead with its purchase of the Russian defence system despite threats of US sanctions.
Ankara received its first supply of S-400 missiles in July, despite a warning by the United States about possible sanctions. The acquisition of the highly-advanced air defence system has led to a standoff between Turkey and its NATO allies, especially the US.
[...] The modular S-400 is seen as one of the most advanced missile systems in the world, capable of tracking several targets simultaneously and ready to be fired within minutes.
The US has repeatedly said that the Russian system is incompatible with NATO systems and is a threat to the hi-tech F-35 fighter jets, which Turkey is also planning to buy.
Washington has said Turkey will not be allowed to participate in the F-35 programme because of the Turkey-Russia deal.
The US has strongly urged Turkey to pull back from the deal - the first such move between a NATO member and Russia - warning Ankara that it will face economic sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if it goes ahead with the purchase, reportedly costing more than $2bn.
So far, however, Ankara has refused to give in to US pressure, insisting that choosing which defence equipment to buy is a matter of national sovereignty.
Previously: US Warns Turkey Not To Buy Russian S-400 Missile System
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 27 2019, @06:10PM (6 children)
What are the actual reasons for Turkey pivoting towards Russia, or at least away from Nato in recent years.
I'm sick of trying to sift information from MSM drivel. WTF is going on exactly?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 27 2019, @06:51PM (3 children)
Turkey was never a real fit for NATO except in a very expedient Cold War way.
They are even less of a fit for the EU. Seeing that they were never going to be accepted into the EU, they started to stop tamping down their usual Muslim country tendencies and just embraced them. This, Erdogan.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday August 27 2019, @10:10PM (2 children)
That is too simplistic.
The religious right in Turkey has never really had much political power, unlike, say Saudi Arabia or Indonesia.
They still don't really, Erdogan is using them as useful idiots to gain and maintain power as they are a reliable voting bloc.
It is very similar to the way in which the Republican party in the US use the religious right as useful idiots to maintain their power.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 27 2019, @11:09PM (1 child)
I stand by my comments about NATO and the EU.
I think Turkey was getting tired of being almost promised things that never would happen.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday August 28 2019, @12:33AM
You might be right about that. I don't really know for sure, but I don't think Erdogan is terribly keen on joining the EU, as they are not keen on their members suppressing the opposition.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 27 2019, @06:52PM
The F35 is an expensive piece of useless shit and non-US models will have crippled software making it even worse.
Turkey wants a way out their contract to buy them.
The S-400 is a pretty good missile and can shoot down an F35.
Washington (MIC) doesn't want that demonstrated so if Turkey buys the S400 the MIC won't let them have any F35s to practice on.
Turkey buys the much cheaper S-400 and gets a good missile system and doesn't have to pay for useless F35's. Double win for them.
The MIC doesn't like this and wails and gnashes their teeth, but can't do anything much without demonstrating to every other potential F35 buyer just what a piece of shit it is.
The US propaganda department try to spin this in the media as 'punishing' Turkey for buying the missile.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 27 2019, @09:10PM
There are 3 main factors to that:
1. Turkey has the strongest military in NATO after the USA. Actually, it was the exactly Turkey for which the NATO was originally created by USA/GB. Turkey helped to win a Cold War (at least in the context of NATO ideology) and aspires for hegemony.
2. Turkey was declined to join EU recently. Mostly because European consider Turkish aspiration to hegemony a threat. Turks consider it an bad insult because of point 1.
3. Military coup d'état in 2016 managed by CIA for the purpose of replacing the current Brotherhood regime by some different puppet failed mostly because of Erdogan was warned benevolently by Russians. Saving some from losing their lives and properties can make them grateful, sometimes. Turks now understand they need an air defense against NATO/Israeli F35s, first of all threats. Without that, Turkey could become the second Yugoslavia, bombed to submission and accept territorial fragmentation. It is a matter of survival of the state.