“They’ve gone crazy just because we made a deal on the S-400. What were we supposed to do, wait for you forever?”[1] This was stated by President Erdogan on September 12, 2017 after Turkey opted for the purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defence system. According to Erdogan, “Signatures have been made for the purchase of S-400s from Russia. A deposit has also been paid as far as I know.”[2]
The Pentagon has already reproved the move. In a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations, warned that the deal dishonoured a bill signed into law in July, 2017[3] that imposes sanctions “on any person that conducts a significant transaction with the Russian Federation’s defence or intelligence sectors.”[4]
