President Donald Trump has proved to be a trustworthy partner for Ankara by preventing the implementation of sanctions against Turkey over its purchase of the Russian-made advance missile defense system even after 45 Republican senators urged him during an unusual meeting on July 24 to follow the law and act accordingly. 

According to Ankara, Trump has won the first round of a long debate between him and the Congress and security bureaucracy. It now appears that the original US red line on Turkey’s S-400 acquisition has shifted from delivery of the systems to their activation. The United States now wants Turkey not to make the system it purchased from Moscow "operational," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said July 25. 

Many people in Turkey are now trying to understand what Pompeo meant by not “activating” the S-400s. Did he mean not unpacking the system and installing, or not activating its radars and missile systems? More importantly, is Trump on the same page with Pompeo?

One thing is for sure: The timeline for possible sanctions now extends to April 2020, when the S-400s are set to be fully activated. No sanctions are apparently likely until then.