Washington: President Donald Trump has announced that the US would not sell the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey because of the latter's decision to purchase the S-400 missile defense system from Russia.
The decision by the Trump Administration can be an indication of the things to come for New Delhi as India has also signed up with Russia to buy the S-400 missile defense system from Russia against the advice of the US.
Trump said it was not fair that when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "really wanted" to buy the Patriot surface-to-air missile system, the Obama administration did not sell it.
"We have a situation where Turkey is very good with us, very good. And we are now telling Turkey that because you have really been forced to buy another missile system, we're not going to sell you the F-35 fighter jets," Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
As per the current US laws, any country purchasing a major defence equipment from Russia could be subject to American sanctions. The US Congress has made amendments in the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for a presidential waiver.
-Lalit K Jha
