Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned Turkey and other U.S. allies against buying weapons systems from Russia, saying such purchases could be subject to sanctions and strain ties with Washington, The Hill reported.
US calls on Turkey to refrain from further purchasing of weapons, military equipment from Russia
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 29, ARTSAKHPRESS: Speaking at a virtual event, Blinken singled out Turkey as it undergoes talks with Russia for a second purchase of the S-400 anti-aircraft weapons system, saying it could be penalized under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
"It's also very important going forward that Turkey, and for that matter all U.S. allies and partners, avoid future purchases of Russian weaponry, including additional S-400s," Blinken said.
"Any significant transactions with Russian defense entities, again, could be subject to the law, to CAATSA, and that's separate from and in addition to the sanctions that have already been imposed," he added.
Despite the already imposed sanctions, Turkey has said it is in talks with Russia for another purchase of the weapons system.
Blinken said US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a “good conversation” last week and that Biden was looking forward to their meeting during the June NATO summit.
