White House provides lifeline to US ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia
Turkish and Saudi leaders look to Trump to prevent relations with the United States from going bad to worse.
The Trump administration scrambled this week to soften the impact of bipartisan legislation that would sanction Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The White House is the last defense against both sanctions and even more friction in bilateral relations with both countries. Long considered pillars of US national security policy in the region, the Congressional consensus on Turkey and the kingdom has frayed as a result of the war in Yemen, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Turkish attack on the United States' Kurdish partners in Syria, and Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
No one questions the need for a US response on all scores, and US President Donald Trump himself imposed sanctions on Turkey for its invasion of Syria (which he lifted after Turkey declared a ceasefire). Nonetheless, both countries remain vital partners in combating terrorists, confronting Iran and ending the wars in Yemen and Syria.
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