Ankara mistaken in thinking it can reach deal with US, says expert
“The sanctions of Turkey are coming,” Teneo Intelligence's director of research, Wolfango Piccoli, told Bloomberg television on Wednesday after the agency reported that Washington is mulling strict measures against the country if it persists with plans to purchase a Russian missile defense system despite American objections.
“The moment the S-400 arrives in Turkey, Turkey will face sanctions,” Piccoli said. He added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip is mistaken in believing he can reach a deal with his American counterpart Donald Trump at next week's G20 summit over Ankara's plans to purchase a Russian missile defense system from Russia while also eyeing the delivery of an order to F-35 fighter jets from the United States.
The process of the sanctions, the analyst said, is not “driven by the White House” but by the US Congress, which has already pushed for a freeze on the F-35 deal to pressure Turkey into backing down on the S-400, which is seen as incompatible with the country's commitments to the NATO alliance.
