Trump aides chose sanctions to impose on Turkey for S-400 missiles

The U.S. administration has picked sanctions to be imposed on Turkey shortly after it is confirmed that Ankara has received its first shipment of S-400 batteries purchased from Russia, Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Turkey received the first batch of S-400 systems on Friday, despite Washington’s repeated statements that Ankara risks being ejected from the manufacturing programme of F-35 stealth fighter jets and facing U.S. sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). 

"The administration chose one of three sets of actions devised to inflict varying degrees of pain under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, the people said, without identifying which set had been chosen," Bloomberg said.

The sanction plan was handled by officials at the State and Defense departments and the National Security Council, Bloomberg said, and it still needs U.S. President Donald Trumps endorsement.

Once the Russian missile systems are delivered to Turkey, the CAATSA legislation states that the U.S. President shall impose sanctions and the president must choose five of 12 proposed sanctions, ranging from mild to harsh.

The Trump administration plans to announce the sanctions late next week after the anniversary of a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey to prevent sparking further rumours that the United States was behind the putsch as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's supporters have claimed, according to Bloomberg.