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Why did Turkey's S-400 purchase cost it the F-35?
Summary
A retrospective on the dispute between Washington and Ankara over Russian missiles, as it stood on 22 July 2019, alongside a Ukrainian sporting success.
What had Turkey lost by buying Russian air defence, as of 22 July 2019? Five days earlier, on 17 July 2019, the United States removed its NATO ally from the Joint Strike Fighter programme. The stated trigger was Ankara's acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile system.
The consequences were concrete. Turkey had planned to buy 100 F-35 Lightning II jets, and its removal from the programme put that order in doubt. The decision set two members of the same alliance against each other over a weapons system made in Russia.
The episode matters for Ukraine and its neighbours because it showed that arms purchases from Moscow could carry a price within the Western security community, even for an ally.
A Ukrainian success in the same days
The news from the region was not all about security. On 20 July 2019, Olga Kharlan won gold in the sabre event at the World Fencing Championships. The victory made her a six-time world champion.
