Russia’s S-400 systems in Turkey threaten US personnel, Pompeo tells Turkish counterpart

In a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said the S-400 air defense systems that Turkey had purchased from Russia threaten the security of US personnel, Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Cale Brown said in a statement.

Commenting on a phone conversation between the top diplomats of the United States and Turkey earlier this week, the spokesperson said: "Secretary Pompeo made clear to Foreign Minister Cavusoglu that Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 system endangers the security of U.S. personnel and military technology and allows Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry."

According to the statement, Pompeo called upon his Turkish counterpart "to resolve the S-400 issue in a manner consistent with our decades-long history of defense-sector cooperation."

The US secretary of state also urged Ankara to re-commit itself to its NATO obligations to purchase NATO-interoperable weaponry.

At the same time, the US top diplomat assured that the goal of Washington’s sanctions was to prevent Russia from receiving "substantial revenue." They were not intended to undermine the military capabilities or combat readiness of Turkey, he added.