President Donald Trump has announced that the US would not sell the F-35 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara purchased the S-400 missile defense system 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.
"We have a situation where Turkey is very good with us, very good. And we are now telling Turkey that because you have really been forced to buy another missile system, we're not going to sell you the F-35 fighter jets," Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
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. The US Congress has made amendments in the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for a presidential waiver.
In June, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told his US counterpart Mike Pompeo that India will go by its national interest on S-400 missile defence deal with sanctions-hit Russia.
"I think we will do what is in our national interest. Again part of that strategic partnership is the ability of each country to comprehend and appreciate the national interest of the other country," he said in New Delhi.
Many in India believe that this presidential waiver was for India. However, US officials were quick to warn that there was no blanket sanction waiver for any country.
The US imposed a series of sanctions on Russian individuals, companies and government agencies over Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.
Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) received the first batch of the Russian missile defence system last Friday despite repeated warnings from the US against the purchase.
"It's a very tough situation that they're in. And it's a very tough situation that we've been placed in the United States," Trump said, adding that Ankara had ordered over 100 F-35 planes.
Describing it as a very complex situation, the president said his administration was working through and would see what happens.
Trump expressed his displeasure over how the entire issue was handled by the previous administration of President Barack Obama.
"The Obama administration would not sell them the Patriot missiles.... They would not sell them under any circumstance," he said.
"When he (Erdogan) made a deal with another country, Russia, to buy their system that he didn't even want, and then all of a sudden, we say we'll now sell you the Patriot," Trump said.
"And because of the fact he bought a Russian missile, we're not allowed to sell him billions of dollars worth of aircraft. It's not a fair situation," he added.
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