A U.S. Fighter Jet or a Russian Missile System. Not Both.

Source:New York Times Date:09Apr2019

This letter is written by Congressional leaders:  Mr. Inhofe and Mr. Reed are the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Mr. Risch and Mr. Menendez are the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Turkey has legitimate air defense needs. The United States, since 2012, has offered the Patriot air defense system as an alternative to the S-400, but Turkey has rejected that offer. With the S-400 scheduled to arrive in Turkey in July and the F-35s scheduled to arrive in November, it is time for President Erdogan to choose. It is our hope he will choose to abandon the S-400, defend Turkish skies with the Patriot system and save the F-35 arrangement.

If President Erdogan fails to make this choice and accepts delivery of the S-400, Turkey will be sanctioned as required by United States law under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Sanctions will hit Turkey’s economy hard — rattling international markets, scaring away foreign direct investment and crippling Turkey’s aerospace and defense industry.