Jersey City, NJ – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued on August 17, the following statement in reaction to reports that Turkey is seeking to purchase a second batch of S-400 air defense systems from Russia:

“I am deeply concerned about reports that Turkey is considering further purchases of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, a delivery that would be another clear violation of U.S. sanctions mandated by the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions law. As Russia continues its brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has a responsibility and an opportunity to unequivocally demonstrate its commitment to NATO and to regional peace and security by fully rejecting any military cooperation with a war criminal like Vladimir Putin.

Between continued antagonistic violations of Greece’s airspace and the delaying of the accession process for Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership, I sincerely hope Turkey will change course and live up to its responsibilities to the defense alliance by being the constructive partner in the region we all hope it can be. The United States must be clear: Any expansion of Turkey’s ties to the Russian defense sector would be a grave mistake that would further endanger the security of our NATO allies and partners throughout Europe.”