US, NATO wait to see if Russia-Turkey defense deal goes through
Turkey’s recent move to acquire a Russian S-400 missile defense system has raised eyebrows in the United States, as Moscow looks on with a smile.
Turkey’s plans to procure an advanced long-range air and missile defense system (LORAMIDS) has been dragging on for 10 years, but now it could be leading to a profound crisis of confidence between Turkey and the US-Western security blocs.
The latest indicator was a July 23 statement by Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford at an Aspen, Colorado, security forum: “[Turkey has] not bought the S-400 air defense system from Russia. That would be a concern, were they to do that, but they have not done that."
Russia did not comment on Dunford’s statement, but Turkey reacted harshly. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States had not helped Turkey one bit in acquiring LORAMIDS, which he said is urgently needed. That's why Turkey had to look for alternatives and signed an agreement in principle with Russia.
In a July 13 story, "Turkey Chooses Russia Over NATO for Missile Defense," Bloomberg reported that the proposed deal for four S-400s would be worth $2.5 billion.
