US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US administration expects Turkey to take “some action” to resolve the situation with Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems
“Well, it’s no secret that we have real differences of opinion with Turkey on this issue and I spoke directly to my Turkish counterpart about this when I met with him and other allies did the same”, – Blinken said.
He noted that Turkey has been a “longstanding and very valuable ally” to the US as it “works with us to achieve very important goals, including counter-terrorism, including dealing with Syria and other areas.”
“We engage directly with them. We have very frank and open discussions, and I hope that Turkey will take some action to address, for example, the problem that the S-400s pose to the Alliance”, – the US secretary of state stressed.
Russia and Turkey signed a contract to supply S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in 2017. The Turkish authorities’ decision to buy the S-400 has provoked a very negative reaction from the US and the North Atlantic Alliance as a whole. The US is trying to get Ankara to give up the Russian SAM systems, but Turkey has not succumbed to pressure.