Ahead of Trump meeting, Erdogan threatens to buy Russian jets

[riversedge]

Source: nbcnews



The Turkish president spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin about the purchase at a recent meeting if the U.S. keeps its ban on selling U.S.-made fighter jets.

Nov. 13, 2019, 4:00 AM CST / Updated Nov. 13, 2019, 11:29 AM CST


WASHINGTON — As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares for Wednesday's White House meeting with President Donald Trump, he's threatening to further inflame tensions between Washington and Ankara by purchasing Russian military fighter jets, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.

Discussions about Turkey purchasing the fighter jets were advanced during a meeting between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin two weeks ago in Sochi, these people said. The Trump administration banned the sale of U.S.-made F-35 jets to Turkey in response to Erdogan’s purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

The possibility of Turkey, a NATO ally, acquiring more military equipment from Putin adds a new dimension to the controversy around Trump's decision to give Erdogan the prestigious platform of a White House meeting. The president is already facing push back from lawmakers who are opposed to the meeting due to the recent Turkish offensive in Syria and Erdogan's purchase of the S-400 Russian missile defense system, for which they have unsuccessfully pressured Trump to sanction Turkey.


Trump tried to appease one of those critics, Sen. Lindsey Graham, by telling the South Carolina Republican that he could sit in on Erdogan's White House meeting if he was worried about it, according to people familiar with their phone call last Wednesday.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/ahead-trump-meeting-erdogan-threatens-buy-russian-jets-n1080721

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands following talks in Sochi on Oct. 22, 2019.Alexei Druzhinin / Kremlin via Reuters file

[Initech]

1. Oh come on, hasn't he seen Top Gun? Doesn't he know that bad guys fly Russian jets?

And Russian jets are far inferior to American ones. Oh the irony.

[TeamPooka]

2. Art of the Deal.

[SergeStorms]

3. Every authoritarian dictator in the world....

knows that Little Donnie Trump is a wannabe strongman on the outside, but inside he's a mewling coward that can be played like a fiddle. They know that because they've all played him like that fiddle!

Trump will end up giving away the country's crown jewels (if he hasn't already) just to suck up to these evil strongmen, and show them what a "tough guy" he is.

I still can't wrap my head around why anyone is scared of Donald Trump. He's a loudmouthed coward with orange skin and a mangy animal curled atop his head. He always has his sycophants do any dirty work he needs to be done because he's scared to do it himself. A hollow drum makes the most noise, and they don't get anymore hollow than Little Donnie Trump.

[Evolve Dammit]

4. We are simply weapons purveyors at this point. What else comes close in exports?

It is particularly disturbing that we sell to whoever will pay, no matter if they are dictators and human rights abusers. The USA as any kind of world example and moral compass has largely been destroyed in 3.5 years. My WWII vet father and vet uncles and cousins would be livid.

[hack89]

7. Weapons are not even in the top 10.

1.Machinery including computers: US$213.1 billion (12.8% of total exports)
2.Mineral fuels including oil: $189.9 billion (11.4%)
3.Electrical machinery, equipment: $176.1 billion (10.6%)
4.Aircraft, spacecraft: $139.1 billion (8.4%)
5.Vehicles: $130.6 billion (7.8%)
6.Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $89.6 billion (5.4%)
7.Plastics, plastic articles: $66.5 billion (4%)
8.Gems, precious metals: $63.8 billion (3.8%)
9.Pharmaceuticals: $48.4 billion (2.9%)
10.Organic chemicals: $40.2 billion (2.4%)

http://www.worldstopexports.com/united-states-top-10-exports/

Bombs and ammo are 77, tanks and armored vehicles are 184

[not_the_one]

9. I don't know what I am talking about, but

the list seems to all be, except the aircraft/spacecraft listing, products that would be made by several, or many companies.

Not so with jets. One company will benefit (and I don't know what company that is), and amounts to a jobs program for the MIC.

Too bad other areas of the economy can't get that kind of job assistance....

Again, I have no clue of what I speak...

[hack89]

11. Boeing commercial jets represent most aircraft sales. Nt

[LanternWaste]

13. Right. Not weapons, simply capital investments to build, power and maintain them.

Much as Berlin's massive investment in educating chemical engineers during the nineteenth century was labeled as peaceful... for better plausible deniability as to true purpose.

[hack89]

14. Why is it so hard to accept that we have a massive economy that exports a multitude of products

other than weapons? There are huge industries making billions of dollars that don't give a shit about the MIC.

[Evolve Dammit]

15. Where do you think #'s 1,3,4 and 5 fit in to weapons production? Cuz they do as components.

[hack89]

16. Good question. Not a huge proportion I would think

People always grossly underestimate the US manufacturing sector and the vast amount and variety of goods it produces.

[Turbineguy]

5. Remember....

Putin wants us to get mad at Erdogan and boot Turkey from NATO.

Doing stupid and impulsive shit is trump's M.O.

[olddad65]

6. let him

[amcgrath]

8. It was reported in the U.K. - and elsewhere

That Erdogan had more tapes than previously revealed surrounding the killing of Khashogghi. Tapes of Kushner giving MBS the go ahead to arrest him. I've not seen the story picked up in the US. There are suggestions that the story doesn't have enough evidence to be run. It also,claims that Erdogan used that as leverage to get Trump to withdraw troops and allow Turkey to attack Syria.
The claims may be false, but Turkey certainly seems to have little concern about the power of the US. A country of Turkeys size, with no real trade agreements with the US can demand US troop withdrawals, ignore supposed limits on their activities during the subsequent invasion?

And while even the Saudis make sure they book multiple rooms I'm Trump hotels when they come to visit, Erdogan shows up threatening to buy from Russia and derailing White House meetings to show propaganda movies on his iPad. Unless Erdogan has some remarkable bargaining chip that we are all unaware of, his visit has been a remarkable display of bad diplomacy and arrogance.

This is the original story, it was also reported in the U.K. Daily Mail. Both outlets are regarded as 'conservative'

https://spectator.us/seven-whistleblowers-jared-kushner-bin-salman/

[not_the_one]

10. the M$M has no problem opining over the various conspiracy theories

put out by the turd and his turdletts.

These Erdogan conspiracies should at least be put out there for public consumption... After all, Some People Are Saying.... AND they make logical sense, with some supporting documentation possibly available, a "kernal of truth"?

You know, that goose/gander thing.

Besides, not addressing the CTs thrown out about our side won't make them go away. It just looks like avoidance, which is what guilty people do. Like the republicans concentrating on the process of identifying the criminal acts, rather than the criminal acts themselves.

If the theory is debunked, the debunkment (no such word?) needs to be out there. Repeatedly, if necessary. Apparently Americans can only absorb something if it is repeated ad nauseam...

[Blue_Tires]

12. Donnie sure knows how to win friends...