Turkey still faces the prospect of American sanctions if there’s no resolution to the dispute triggered by its purchase of an advanced Russian S-400 missile-defense system, US Ambassador David Satterfield said on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.
Satterfield said on a conference call with reporters that unless the two countries can find an agreement, Congress is likely to pass legislation imposing so-called CAATSA sanctions against Turkey “at some point not too distant.”
Tensions between Ankara and Washington have recently eased as Turkey became embroiled in an escalating conflict with Russian-backed Syrian forces in Idlib.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said the United States is softening its stance on a potential sale of US Patriot missile systems, adding that Washington has asked Ankara to guarantee it will not activate its Russian S-400 defense system, Reuters reported.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Feb. 20 said Turkey will “no doubt” activate the S-400s in an interview with CNN Turk.