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Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper called his Turkish counterpart to reprimand Ankara after the delivery of a Russian air defense system to Turkey on Friday, as the Donald Trump administration deliberated automatic sanctions for the move. The arrival of the Russian-made system is widely seen as a turning point in Ankara’s unraveling ties with the United States and its 67-year alliance with NATO.
The delivery was trumpeted by pro-government outlets as irrefutable proof of Turkey’s unbending sovereignty and strength in the face of global powers. The Ministry of Defense was eager to show off its new kit, tweeting footage of the giant Russian transport plane carrying the first set of components as it landed at the Murted air force base in Ankara.
Turkey’s receipt of the S-400 comes after nearly two years of warnings from the Pentagon, State Department and Congress that accepting the Russian system would lead to automatic American sanctions after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first signed a $2.5 billion deal for the system in 2017. Erdogan has since consistently said he would not step back, apparently banking on his good personal relations with Trump to get Turkey off the hook.
At the last meeting between the two leaders before the delivery, at the G-20 summit in Osaka last month, President Trump appeared willing to extend Turkey lenience. “It is not really President Erdogan's fault,” Trump said at a press conference, insisting the Turkish leader had been treated “very unfairly” over the course of the negotiations.
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