U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (not pictured) on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AFP Photo)
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (not pictured) on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (AFP Photo)
The United States’ rhetoric on Turkey’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 defense systems has softened following President Donald Trump’s remarks at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Thursday.
Stressing the importance of Trump’s remarks in front of the press last week, Çavuşoğlu said that different statements kept coming from a variety of U.S. institutions regarding the S-400 matter, but now “the different voices have begun to diminish.”
“Trump’s statement seems to have had an impact on Congress as well. We want to solve (the S-400 issue) through diplomatic means. The process (of finding a resolution) now continues in a calmer environment,” the minister added.
Çavuşoğlu also reminded that the S-400 is “a defense system, not an attack system.”
“It’ll be used when there is an emergency. Why would the S-400 be activated as it just stands there, it costs a lot,” he said.
Washington threatens to exclude Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet development program if it buys the S-400 systems but during their meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Osaka, Trump seemed to have a softer stance.
“During the meeting, Trump himself asked how there could be such a thing . A country, our F-35 partner, has already paid $1.4. billion for its own jets but it isn’t getting them. He said it was unacceptable. However, there is no need to be naive and optimistic in hopes that everything will happen just as Trump says. We are being cautious,” Çavuşoğlu said, adding that Trump’s words and acknowledgment of the situation was crucial for a healthier delivery process.
The U.S. has also been mulling sanctions against Turkey though the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). However, following talks with Trump, Erdoğan said the U.S. president told him that Washington will not impose sanctions.
