Turkey’s Erdogan dares U.S. to Impose Sanctions.

Monday, 26 October 2020. US President Donald Trump on Monday pledged "major sanctions" against Turkey in reference to Russia's test of the S-400 fighter jet, in its offensive in northern Syria against Kurdish fighters. The long-running conflict between the two countries has exacerbated the political situation in the region, The Turkish military is directly involved in the crisis in the region, especially its military support to Azerbaijan.

"Do people really think we should go to war with Turkey, a NATO member?" Trump said on his Twitter account. "The same people who got us into the Middle East mess are the people who most want to stay there,” Trump said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged the United States to impose sanctions on his country if he can, while also launching a second attack on French President Emmanuel Macron, who last week described him as mentally ill.

Speaking a day after suggesting that Macron needed mental health treatment for his views on Islam and radical Muslims, Erdogan expanded his government to fight foreign critics.

"Whatever your sanctions are, do not miss out," Erdogan said, referring to the US warning to Turkey, adding that Ankara's support for Azerbaijan against Armenia ethnic forces.

The United States has condemned Turkey after it tested Russia's advanced air defense system S-400. Turkey last week tested a Russian-made S-400 fighter jet in the Black Sea city of Sinop.

In recent weeks, the United States has warned Ankara of the dangers of imposing sanctions, in line with the US Anti-Pressure Act if the S-400 system is activated. President Donald Trump, however, has not yet openly enforced sanctions in the hope that Erdogan will not continue to move missiles.

Erdogan boasted that they had implemented the F-35 fighter jet system and that the US threat had not materialized, and indirectly said that they would continue military operations and testing sophisticated weapons at a time when Turkey has created a state of war in the region.

The testing of the S-400s, meanwhile, has further fuelled tensions between NATO and Turkey, with NATO, says it poses a threat to the allied military alliance.