MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2019) Turkey going ahead with deliveries of Russian air defense systems may lead to its expulsion from the F-35 jet program but will not damage US-Turkish ties in the long term, a Turkish lawmaker predicted.
Turkey defied US demands to abandon the deal with Russia as the first shipment of advanced S-400 missile systems arrived Friday at a military base in Ankara.
"I don't think that the bilateral relations will break. But surely the US may retaliate and can take measures including cuts and holding F-35 supply. But I don't think the US will go as far as breaking the ties with Turkey," Ozturk Yilmaz told Sputnik.
Washington has argued that the ground-to-air missile system is incompatible with NATO defenses and will compromise the stealthy fighter, which Turkey has paid for and plans to buy.
Yilmaz said the start of S-400 imports was likely to ratchet up the tensions between the two NATO allies even further, putting their relationship to test, but added they would hopefully sort it all out "in a smooth way."
