Restrictions on sale of F-35s to Turkey upheld in US
A joint US House and Senate conference committee upheld on Thursday restrictions on the sale of Russian F-35s to Turkey in its report on the Department of Defense Appropriations bill for 2019, Greek-American media have reported.
The decision, which US President Trump will decide whether to pass into law on October 1, temporarily bars the transfer of F-35s from American arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin to Turkey, until the Pentagon assesses the impact of Turkey’s planned acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense program.
“Congress has given Turkey one more chance to back out of the S-400 deal. If Turkey decides to proceed with the ill-advised acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, ever more stringent efforts will be coming out of Congress this fall,” Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) Executive Director Endy Zemenides was quoted by the Greek News website as saying.
