US wants Turkey not to activate S-400, says Pompeo

WASHINGTON

The U.S. wants Turkey not to make "operational" the Russian S-400 missile system it purchased from Moscow, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.

"There could be more sanctions to follow, but frankly, what we’d really like is the S-400 not to become operational," Pompeo told Bloomberg in an interview. "That’s our objective."

"It’s what we’ve been talking to the Turks about for months and months. We’ve told them that it’s simply incompatible with the F-35.”

President Donald Trump reportedly told Republican senators during a closed-door White House meeting Tuesday that he is not in favor of implementing penalties on Turkey for its acquisition of the Russian S-400 anti-air missile system.

Trump has repeatedly voiced reluctance to penalize Turkey over its purchase of the S-400, doing so last week when announcing Ankara's removal from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Turkey's expulsion is slated to be completed by the end of March 2020.

The Trump administration has maintained that the S-400 could expose the advanced fighter to possible Russian subterfuge and is incompatible with NATO systems.

Turkey, however, counters that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance.

Trump blames the Obama administration for the current row over its refusal to sign a deal with Turkey to sell it American defense firm Raytheon's Patriot missile system.

Pompeo called on Ankara to reconsider its decision, saying "We’re all working – everyone’s working together to do our best".

"We’ve made clear to the Turks that the activation of the S-400 is unacceptable," he added.

On Twitter, Senator Lindsey Graham said the U.S. and Turkey "must find a way to avoid the damage to the relationship that comes from Turkey activating" the S-400 missile system.

"When it comes to Turkey, we are looking for a Win-Win, not a Lose-Lose," Graham wrote.