Erdogan threatens the US with legal action if supply of F-35 fighter jets is blocked
If the US blocks the supply of the new fifth generation American fighter jet F-35 to the Turkish Air Force, Ankara may file a suit against the US in international arbitration, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a broadcast on Habertürk TV.
It was recently reported that the US Congress has banned the supply of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet to the Turkish army.
Lawmakers in Congress are leveraging the supply of the F-35 in order to put pressure on Turkey regarding its decision to install the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
The US sees the decision by Ankara to install the Russian made missile defense system as pushing Turkey further into Moscow’s sphere of influence in the Near East.
This decision will also reduce military interoperability between Turkey and its fellow NATO members.
Additionally, banning the supply of these fighter jets will prevent Moscow from gaining important information about the F-35 technology, which is currently among Washington’s military secrets.