Senator Menendez states no F-35s for Turkey unless S-400s go

The Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Bob Menendez, said that he would be opposed to the sale of the next-gen F-35 fighter jet to Turkey unless the issue of the S-400 missile defense system the country purchased from Russia is resolved in an interview with Tom Ellis, Editor in Chief of the English Edition of Kathimerini on Tuesday. The senator reiterated his longstanding view that the S-400 system must go, adding however that further steps must also be taken by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“If I was to look to the future and choose an option for our children, without any extenuating circumstances, I would prefer to not look towards Venezuela, Iran, and other such countries and instead look to allies like Greece and Israel,” said Menendez, while adding that in his view the recent charm offensive by the Turkish president will most likely fail.

The senator also discussed the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and stressed that it is the largest strategic blunder ever commited by a Russian president. He stated that NATO is stronger than ever and that no attack on any member-state will be tolerated.