When US senators take business into their own hands, it usually means Russia’s about to ink a really good trade deal.
Whenever a country comes close to making a deal with Russia that will advance its trade and economic interests, and not the US’, US senators decide to intervene. This was the case when three US lawmakers visited Bulgaria, a trip closely followed by Sofia’s abrupt cancellation of the South Stream pipeline project. Now it’s Turkey’s turn: Ankara is determined to buy Russia’s S-400 air defence systems, but is having its arm twisted to forget that deal in order to buy the US’ the notoriously expensive and unreliable F-35 aircraft.
Inhofe and Reed are the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Risch and Menendez are the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In the meantime, while threatening Ankara with “severe consequences” for making a trade agreement with Russia, the lawmakers also take the time to paint Russian President Vladimir Putin as a global villain.
In the meantime, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also threatened Egypt with sanctions should Cairo buy Russian Su-35 jets.”We have received assurances from [Cairo], they understand that, and I am very hopeful they will decide not to move forward with that acquisition,” Pompeo said before the Senate Committee on Appropriations Tuesday.