VIVA – Amid the tension between the United States (US) and Russia related to competition for the development of defense system tools, it turns out that the United States (US) is interested in buying a Russian-made missile launch system S-400.
The US desire was revealed when one of the Republican Senate Members of the United States proposed a law allowing the United States to buy a Russian-made S-400 defense system amid the threat of embargo sanctions imposed by Washington on Ankara for the purchase of Russian equipment by Turkey.
The proposal was made by Senate Majority Whip John Thune, who considered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act 2021 that could allow Washington to purchase equipment through the US Army’s procurement budget.
“The required amount may be permitted to be used by the Army for ‘Army Missile Procurement’ for the purchase of S-400 missile defense systems,” the text of the amendment of the law quoted VIVA Military of Sputnik, Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
The amendment also suggested that the proceeds from the purchase of the S-400 “would not be used to buy or obtain military equipment that the United States deemed incompatible with NATO”.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch said, an amendment that would make the Trump administration impose sanctions on Turkey under the American Opponents Law through Sanctions (CAATSA), 30 days after the proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) must be immediately done.
“I think the US buying S-400 from Turkey is a smart way to get Erdogan out of the bottleneck he is doing. We just want to get the system out of Turkey […] and if it allows the Turks to take part in the F-35 then things will get better, “former Pentagon official for European and NATO policy, Jim Townsend, quoted from Defense News.
To note, the United States previously had CAATSA laws governing embargo sanctions against other countries that buy weapons or defense system equipment from Russia. The last that is threatened by sanctions from America is Turkey. The United States has imposed sanctions on Turkey because Erdogan bought a Russian flagship S-400 missile launcher from Russia. Turkey is threatened. America plans to expel Turkey from the multinational F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program if Turkey does not cancel the S-400 purchase contract with Russia signed by Erdogan in 2019. Erdogan insisted he did not heed the threat of sanctions from America. He prefers to keep buying the S-400 made in Russia.
The reason the United States asks Turkey to cancel S-400 purchases from Russia is that the US claims the Russian S-400 defense system could jeopardize F-35 fighter jet operations. America also considers that the S-400 does not comply with NATO standards.
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