Trump says no sanctions against NATO ally Turkey for now
President Donald Trump said he’s not looking at economic sanctions against Turkey “right now” following its decision to begin receiving parts of a Russian missile-defense system that has divided the two NATO allies and fueled outrage in Congress.
“It’s a very, very difficult situation for a lot of reasons,” he told reporters in the Oval Office before a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands. “So, we’re looking at it. We’ll see what we do. We haven’t announced that yet.”
His remarks came a day after his administration said it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet programme, a move that had been long threatened and expected after Ankara began accepting delivery of Russia’s S-400 air defence system.
Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers pressed President Donald Trump on Thursday to impose sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of a Russian missile defence system, saying he should follow a law mandating penalties for doing business with Russia’s military.
