US to possibly stop training Turkish pilots
Reports say the US may stop training Turkish pilots as part of the F-35 fighter jet project in the wake of the Turkish state’s intention to purchase S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
According to an article by Reuters based on two anonymous sources, the Pentagon is planning to temporarily stop training Turkish pilots.
Currently the pilots receive training in the Luke Air Base in Arizona, and it is unclear whether they will remain at the base until an ultimate decision is made or they will be asked to leave the country.
The US government issued a statement on May 23 and said Turkey purchasing the S-400 systems would have “very negative” results.
The television network CNBC ran a story recently that the US gave Turkey 2 weeks to abandon the S-400 deal and that the country would be excluded from the F-35 program if they failed to do so.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Selim Kiran argued that they hadn’t received an official request to that end.
