Turkey Mystified That The U.S. Has Not Taken Up Offer To Create S-400 Working Group

Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar talks to acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

Reuters: U.S. has not taken up offer to create S-400 working group, Turkey says

ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States has not yet taken up Turkey’s suggestion of creating a joint working group to try to defuse tensions over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems, a senior Turkish defense official said on Monday.

The two NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over Turkey’s order for the S-400s, which are not compatible with the transatlantic alliance’s systems.

Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighters and has warned of potential U.S. sanctions if Ankara presses on with the deal.

Turkey, one of the core partners in the F-35 program and a prospective buyer, has said the S-400s will not impact the jets and has proposed to Washington forming a joint working group to assess U.S. concerns.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Turkey is not taking these reports serious .... Pentagon Gives Turkey a Deadline to Cancel S-400 Deal or Lose F-35 (Defense One). More here .... Pentagon Warns Turkey of Sanctions Over Russian Missile System (Foreign Policy). My prediction .... Turkey better look elsewhere for their fighter jets.