Sergey Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to US sanctions against Turkey for the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM). His words are quoted by TASS.
According to the Foreign Minister, the sanctions are not a surprise for Moscow. In addition, such restrictions are the use of illegitimate measures “left and right” and a manifestation of a contemptuous attitude towards international law, Lavrov stressed.
“This does not add, I think, to the credibility of the United States in the international arena as a responsible participant in the international division of labor,” the minister said.
Earlier it became known that employees of the Turkish defense department and officials fell under American sanctions. Restrictive measures will affect the heads of the secretariat of the Turkish defense industry Ismail Demir, other employees of the department, as well as three more individuals associated with the deal between Ankara and Moscow.
Deliveries of the S-400, which caused a crisis in relations between Turkey and the United States, began in mid-July 2019. Washington demanded to abandon the deal and purchase American Patriot complexes in return, threatening to delay or even cancel the sale of the latest F-35 fighters to Turkey.
