WASHINGTON – Turkey’s upcoming purchase of S-400 air defense missilessystems from Russia could trigger US secondary sanctions against Ankara, anew report on Washington’s relations with Ankara from the Turkish HeritageOrganization said.

“There are concerns that it [deal] could trigger US sanctions in 2018under the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (CAATSA)which was signed into law in August 2017,” the report said on Monday.

In December, Russia and Turkey signed a loan agreement on the supplyof Russia’s S-400link> airdefense missile systems to Turkey.

[image: Russia’s S-400 air defense system]Plans by Moscow and Ankara to push ahead with the proposed Turkish Streampipeline will increase Turkey’s dependence on Russia for its energy andwill also run the risk of provoking US retaliatory sanctions, the reportadded.

“In 2017, over 50 percent of Turkey’s natural gas imports came from Russia…Despite Turkey’s desire to wean itself off Russian energy, progress on theTurk-Stream national pipeline will do the opposite in 2018 and could eventrigger US sanctions, the report said.

Continued US support for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG)operating east of the Euphrates River in Syria with US support indicatesthat Washington and Ankaralink>willexperience continued tensions on the issue this year, the report added.