US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday it is “not fair” to either Turkey or the United States that Washington cannot sell Ankara billions of dollars worth of F-35 fighter jets after it bought a Russian
“LOCKHEED IS NOT EXACTLY HAPPY”
“It’s a very tough situation that they’re in, and it’s a very tough situation that we’ve been placed in the United States … We’ll see what happens. But it’s not really fair,” Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
“Because of the fact that you bought a Russian missile, we’re not allowed to sell them billions of dollars’ worth of aircraft. It’s not a fair situation,” Trump said, lamenting the jobs that would be lost. “I would say that (F-35 manufacturer) Lockheed is not exactly happy,” he said.
US officials urged Turkey to buy US Patriot missiles, arguing the Russian system would be incompatible with NATO systems and expose the F-35s to possible Russian subterfuge. Turkey, however, emphasized the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance.
