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Intel: US leans on Turkey despite tensions

The top US military commander in Europe told Congress today that Turkey remains a key ally despite the Donald Trump administration’s decision to boot the NATO partner from the F-35 program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system last summer.
Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters attend a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium June 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts - RC153052BAD0

The top US military commander in Europe told Congress today that Turkey remains a key ally despite the Donald Trump administration’s decision to boot the NATO partner from the F-35 program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system last summer.

The exchange: Pressed by Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott in a posture hearing Tuesday, the dual-hatted NATO supreme allied commander and US European Command chief Gen. Tod Wolters said that “Turkey remains a very reliable ally” more than seven months after receiving its first S-400 batteries.

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