US not to sell F-35 fighters to Turkey for buying S-400

Washington, July 17 

President Donald Trump has announced that the US would not sell the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara purchased the S-400 missiles from sanctions-hit Russia. 

The decision by the Trump Administration against a major NATO ally could be an indication of the things to come for India as it has also signed up with Russia to buy the S-400 missile defense system against the advice of the US. India inked an agreement with Russia in October last year to procure a batch of the S-400 missile systems at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore. 

 Trump said it was not fair that when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “really wanted” to buy the Patriot surface-to-air missile system, the previous Obama administration did not sell it.

The F-35 is a stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. Under current US laws, any country purchasing a major defence equipment from Russia could be subject to American sanctions. — PTI