Why Turkey’s reliance on Trump for S-400 sanctions waiver appears misguided
Turkey is counting on President Donald Trump to waive US sanctions if Turkey takes delivery of the Russian air defense system. But any possible leniency would face significant obstacles in Congress.
Turkish officials appealed directly to President Donald Trump this week to waive potential US sanctions if Turkey takes delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
But any possible exemption would face significant obstacles in Congress even if Trump got on board.
The sanctions risk comes from a 2017 law, the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), targeting the Russian military and defense industry and its customers. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that Ankara “will expect President Trump to use his power for a waiver on that issue.”
Yet the law offers relatively little flexibility to the president; CAATSA drew a sharp rebuke from Trump even as he signed it into law in 2017. Congress expanded the waiver authority in last year’s defense authorization bill at the request of former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who called for leniency “to ensure we have the footing to support these nations whose goal is to end reliance on Russian weapons sales.”
