NATO fury: How Trump could force Erdogan into anti-West alliance with Putin

NATO allies appear more divided than ever before as Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan's relationship with Russia President Vladimir Putin grows, sparking fury from the White House and severing relations between Donald Trump and his defiant ally.

Mr 's security adviser Robert O'Brien has issued a fiery warning in yet another exchange of hostile rhetoric between Washington and Ankara as the US looks to force Turkey to relinquish its Russian weapons. Mr O'Brien told CBS on Sunday that “Turkey will feel the impact of those sanctions” if it does not "get rid" of Russian S-400 missiles which touched down in Ankara earlier this year. While referring to the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, he also said laws designed to cripple Washington's enemies would pass with "overwhelming support".

Russian S-400 missiles were pictured in Ankara in September via images obtained by ImageSat, and the revelation sparked fear within as Mr appeared to be encroaching on the West's ally.

The pictures showed that, while the missiles were not loaded, they were fully operational, meaning they could gather intelligence on weapons used by NATO allies should they fly over Turkish airspace.

This included NATO's F-35 fighter jet, which is used by countries such as the US, the UK, Canada and much of Europe.


NATO: Erdogan has grown closer to Putin (Image: getty)


NATO: S-400's are reportedly operational in Turkey (Image: getty)

Mr O'Brien added that: “There’s no place in NATO for the S-400. There’s no place in NATO for significant Russian military purchases. That’s a message that the president will deliver to him (Erdogan) very clearly when he’s here."

Mr Trump and Mr will meet in Washington on Wednesday where discussions will likely touch on Russian weapons.

Earlier this month, the head of Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate said a second S-400 delivery to Turkey may be delayed beyond a planned 2020 timeline by talks on technology sharing and joint production.

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NATO: Putin and Erdogan have grown closer in recent months (Image: getty)

Mr Trump had already started withdrawing Turkey from the F-35 programme, and now relations between the two countries have been deeply strained.

The US, Turkey and Russia have also been at the epicentre of the recent fallout in Syria, in which Mr Erdogan oversaw and incursion into the Middle Eastern state to assault Washington backed Kurdish forces, who they deem to be terrorists.

Mr Trump withdrew troops from the region to avoid a flashpoint with a NATO ally, but the chaos from the violence allowed some ISIS fighters to escape prison camps sparking fury from various world leaders.

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NATO: Turkish troops undertook a violent incursion into Syria i (Image: getty)


NATO: Trump has threatened Turkey with sanctions on multiple occasions (Image: getty)

The US had imposed sanctions as a result of the Turkish aggression, but a ceasefire was eventually agreed as tensions appeared to calm down.

With the US withdrawn, Mr Putin sent Russia troops into the region to fill the vacuum of power broker as Russian military began patrolling the border.

Russian and Turkish troops are now cooperating on the border with Syria, leading to Ankara-Moscow ties to strengthen further, and essentially leading to Kremlin control in the Middle East.

President Trump's protectionist and at times isolationist foreign policy could see a NATO ally switch sides for good as Mr Putin continues to increase Russian influence on the world stage.