US 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 reports.
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.
The Hill writes that the U.S. first slapped sanctions on Turkey in December over its 2019 purchase of the S-400 missile defense system. The penalties targeted Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), SSB's president, Ismail Demir, and other SSB officers. They banned on all U.S. export licenses and authorizations and imposed visa restrictions and asset freezes for the individuals and agency.
The purchase is only one source of strain in the relationship between Washington and Ankara. Those tensions were exacerbated further when President Biden recognized the 1915 killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.
Turkey, which has denied the killings amounted to a genocide, said the declaration would hurt bilateral ties.
Despite the latest spat, Blinken said Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a “good conversation” last week and that Biden was looking forward to their meeting during the June NATO summit.
