<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>The Trump administration announced sweeping sanctions on the 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation last month. </strong></li><li><strong>The move marks the White House's most significant response yet to Russia's interference in the 2016 US election.</strong></li><li><strong>It is also the first time the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) has been used since President Donald Trump signed it into law last August.</strong></li></ul><p>The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions Thursday on the 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with conspiring to interfere in the 2016 US election. </p><p>The Internet Research Agency (IRA), a notorious Russian troll farm located in St. Petersburg which was primarily responsible for carrying out Russia's social-media influence operation during the election, was added to the list of sanctioned entities, as were 12 of the 13 Russian nationals charged. </p><p>The other, Russian businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin, was already on the list, but was additionally designated as an individual linked to the IRA.</p><p><span>Prigozhin was accused in Mueller's indictment of using his companies, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering, to bankroll the IRA's work.</span></p><p>Two other individuals, Sergei Afanasyev and Grigoriy Viktorovich Molchanov, were added because of their ties to Russia's main intelligence directorate. </p><p>The 12 Russian nationals from the Mueller indictment added to the US's sanctions list are: Dzheykhun Nasimi Ogly Aslanov; Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva, Maria Anatolyevna Bovda, Robert Sergeyevich Bovda, Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov, Irina Viktorovna Kaverzina, Aleksandra Yuryevna, Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev, Sergey Pavlovich Polozov, Gleb Igorevich Vasilchenko, and Vladimir Venkov.</p><p>The Treasury also announced sanctions on Russia's federal security service (FSB) and individuals linked to Russian intelligence. </p><p><em>This story is developing. Check back for updates. </em></p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-will-arming-teachers-guns-help-stop-school-shootings-2018-2">Henry Blodget: Will arming teachers with guns help stop school shootings?</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Trump administration announces new sanctions on Russians charged in the Mueller investigation

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCIAF5S0PW&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1806&amp;RH=916#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCIAF5S0PW&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1806&amp;RH=916&amp;POPUPPN=1&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1FFKPDK1">Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russian S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade for the 71st anniversary of the victory over Germany in World War II, in Moscow's Red Square, May 9, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia started shipping its advanced S-400 air-defense system to China in early 2018.</li><li>Beijing was the first foreign buyer of the weapons system, which is considered among the most advanced on the market.</li><li>But Mother Nature intervened, damaging and delaying the first shipment.</li></ul><p>China became the first foreign buyer of Russia's S-400 in 2014, but the delivery of the air-defense system, considered one of the most advanced the world, was marred whn a ship carrying it encountered a storm in early 2018.</p><p>According to the CEO of Russian <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> firm Rostec, the components damaged were more important than first known.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-navys-best-sub-hunting-aircraft-faces-some-nagging-problems-2019-2" data-analytics-position="4">The US Navy's best sub-hunting aircraft is facing some nagging problems</a></em></p><p>At the IDEX defense conference in the United Arab Emirates this month, Sergey Chemezov said that the gear damaged in the storm included the 40N6E, which is the export version of S-400's 40N6 missile, <a href="https://aviationweek.com/author/steve-trimble" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Stephen Trimble</a>, defense editor at Aviation Week.</p><p>The 40N6 is the longest-range interceptor of the S-400's three missiles. The export version of the missile can reach just under 400 kilometers, or roughly 250 miles. The system also comes with a command-and-control system, a radar system, and a launcher.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>While the delivery of the S-400 to China had previously been confirmed, whether the 40N6E was included was not known for sure, which led Trimble to ask Chemezov about it, expecting to get a standard "no comment," he said on <a href="https://aviationweek.com/defense/podcast-how-russia-expanding-s-400-exports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the most recent episode</a> of Aviation Week's Check 6 podcast.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"He not only confirmed it. He also told us this sort of bizarre story about the fate that befell [the missile] on its way ... to China," Trimble said.</span></p><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Read more</strong>: </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navys-2nd-fleet-to-start-agile-operations-to-counter-russia-2019-1" data-analytics-position="14">The US Navy's newest fleet is bulking up for 'leaner, agile' operations to counter Russia in the Atlantic and the Arctic</a></em></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chemezov made clear that the missiles "were on a ship, and the ship got hit by a bad storm, and ... ultimately all the missiles were lost. He didn't explain exactly how they were lost, but he said that they all have to be replaced and that they are now building the replacements for the missile, because of either damage sustained in the storm, or they were just destroyed in the storm somehow."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reports of the damage emerged not long after the delivery started in early January 2018.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Russian Ministry of Defense</span></p><p class="caption">An S-400 radar unit.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maritime trackers monitoring ships' automatic identification systems did notice a vessel that left St. Petersburg with an AIS code indicating it had explosives aboard, Trimble said. That ship hit a storm in the English Channel and returned to port.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Russian state media outlet <a href="http://tass.com/defense/985944" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tass said</a> in January 2019 that "part of the equipment included in the first shipment" to China had been "damaged by a storm and returned to Russia."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Around the same time, Russian <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> agency RIA quoted the <span>spokeswoman for Russia's military and technical cooperation service</span> as saying parts of the S-400 systems on their way to China were damaged in a storm at sea. The spokeswoman described the components as "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-storm-damages-parts-of-russias-s-400-system-on-its-way-to-china-ria-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secondary</a>" without giving any details.</span></p><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Read more</strong>: </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-admiral-attack-us-carriers-as-thats-what-us-fears-the-most-2019-1" data-analytics-position="1">A Chinese admiral said his country should 'attack' US supercarriers with new weapons, but the US Navy is already scrambling to counter the threat</a></em></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the S-400's missiles are an essential component - the 40N6 even more so. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The revelation "was a very surprising development in this story of this export and completely unexpected," Trimble said. "I can't really think of something like this ever happening before, because it's not just any missile. This is probably one of the most important, strategically, weapon systems in the world right now, and this is the most powerful effector, or missile, within that system."</span></p><p>"T<span style="font-weight: 400;">hose missiles now may be at the bottom of the English Channel, which is just an incredible twist in the whole story," Trimble added.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russian President Putin with Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec, in Moscow.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In May 2018, China <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-russian-s-400-air-defense-system-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received its first regimental set of the S-400</a> when the third and final ship arrived with "<span>the equipment not damaged during a December storm in the English Channel and the damaged equipment after repairs," a diplomatic source told Tass at the time.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>An S-400 regiment consists of two battalions. Each battalion has two batteries. A standard battery has four transporter erector launchers, each with four launch tubes, as well as fire-control radar systems and a command module. Reports vary about how many regimental sets China was to get, from two to six.</span></span></p><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Read more</strong>: </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/admiral-says-navys-new-fleet-strategy-already-fooled-the-russians-2018-12" data-analytics-position="8">The Navy's top officer in Europe says the US' new strategy has already duped the Russians</a></em></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>The South China Morning Post said in the final days of December that the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-tests-russian-made-s-400-air-defense-system-2018-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tested the S-400</a> in November, shooting down a "simulated ballistic target" moving at the supersonic speed of nearly 2 miles a second at a range of nearly 150 miles.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>The S-400 and Russia's efforts to sell it aboard have become a point of contention with the US.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>In September, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-trade-war-the-us-sanctions-china-for-buying-russian-weapons-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US hit China with sanctions</a> under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, which is meant to punish Russia over its interventions abroad and interference in the 2016 US election.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin</span></p><p class="caption">Russian servicemen drive S-400 air-defense missile systems through Red Square during the Victory Day parade, marking the 73rd anniversary of the victory over Germany in World War II, May 9, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>But other US allies have expressed interest in the S-400, complicating matters for Washington. Despite warnings that the US would rescind F-35 deliveries and that the system wouldn't work with NATO weapons, Turkey has forged ahead with an S-400 buy, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-turkey-says-russian-s-400-defense-system-purchase-done-deal-2019-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying this week</a> that the purchase was a done deal.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>India has also agreed to buy the S-400, though Chemezov said New Delhi has yet to make an advance payment, which "was a bit of a surprise," Trimble said. Buying the S-400 could open India to US sanctions, though there is a wavier process in the CAATSA legislation that could be applied to Delhi.</span></span></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coast-guard-arctic-freedom-of-navigation-exercise-polar-star-russia-2018-12" data-analytics-position="13">The Coast Guard turned down a request for an Arctic exercise out of concern the US's only heavy icebreaker would break down and Russia would have to rescue it</a></em></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>And despite the Trump administration's wooing of Saudi Arabia - which includes White House senior adviser Jared Kushner personally negotiating a discount with the Lockheed Martin CEO for the firm's Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-hasnt-signed-us-arms-deals-talking-to-russia-about-s-400-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Kingdom is reportedly still interested in the S-400</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>"Chemezov refused to talk about the S-400 and Saudi Arabia, and he was very blunt about why," Trimble said. "He said that if we talk about these kinds of deals, that gets our potential customers in a lot of trouble with the US government, so what we're doing is negotiating silently, which isn't a very silent way of negotiating, but that was how he put it."</span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/timothy-snyder-russia-not-as-strong-as-you-think-2018-4">Why Russia may not be as strong as most people think</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia sent its most advanced air-defense system to China last year, but Mother Nature got in the way

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts with attendees after a state awards ceremony for military personnel who served in Syria, at the Kremlin in Moscow</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>As mandated, the US Treasury released a list of individuals with financial ties to the Kremlin. It did not place more sanctions on them.</strong></li><li><strong>This may seem limp, but in the world of <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> finance and security, lists like this give players pause.</strong></li><li><strong>It's also important to remember that all sanctions should come with a plan. If not, they can do more harm than good. It's clear the Trump administration has no plan for countering Russian aggression.</strong></li></ul><p><br />Yes, it seems the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-putin-oligarchs-list-treasury-forbes-2018-1">US Treasury cribbed</a> its list of individuals with financial ties to the Kremlin from Forbes Magazine's list of richest Russians.</p><p>And yes, the White House and the State Department have said that there will be no additional sanctions on Russia, despite the fact that hours before this Treasury list was released, CIA chief Mike Pompeo said Russia would doubtless meddle in our elections again.</p><p>So yes, it appears the Trump administration released this list kicking and screaming. It was, after all, mandated <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/caatsa.aspx">by a law</a> - the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) - <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/caatsa.aspx">meant to punish Russia</a> for its meddling in the 2016 presidential election - meddling President Donald Trump still refuses to fully and unreservedly acknowledge. It is a law he signed because he had no choice.</p><p>In the shadowy world where global finance intersects with national security, lists are signals to be taken seriously. The preamble to this list's release saw the emergence of the DC swamp things one tends to see when powerful people are under serious duress. In this case, it was <a href="https://twitter.com/courtneywmh/status/957557813315809281">lobbyists articulating the interests of the Russian elite.</a> </p><p>Then after the list was released, Russian President Vladimir <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kremlin-reacts-with-anger-and-ridicule-to-treasury-list-of-influential-russians/2018/01/30/f5405586-05c7-11e8-8777-2a059f168dd2_story.html?utm_term=.5a04a97c8c60">Putin at once shrugged it off as a joke</a> while also calling it an act of aggression. He spun the well-oiled Kremlin wheels of projection and victimization, its classic defense mechanisms, and accused the US of using the list to meddle in Russia's upcoming "elections."</p><p>But which is it? Is this list mean or meaningless?</p><h2>Bring it on home</h2><p>"<span>While Treasury made clear these are not sanctions, financial institutions will be hard pressed to not take note of this list and evaluate their exposure to those listed," Boris Zilberman, a deputy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Business Insider in an email. </span></p><p><span>"Any future sanctions on Putin's inner circle will very likely be derived from such a report and as such both financial institutions, those listed, and the Russian government are likely be to evaluating defensive measures. [Treasury Secretary Steve] Mnuchin just actually said that he expects sanctions to come out of this report, [to be determined], but that's good signaling for the financial institutions."</span></p><p><span>There is also a classified report included with the list that should contain more detail that's for the world of spooks and politicians. The world of finance will take something different from this list - a warning to beware of certain activity.</span></p><p>"[The list] will cut off front channels, not back channels," one international financier told me after the list was released, requesting to remain unnamed. </p><p>"Back channels," the financier said, means that people like him will be looking more askance at structured investments coming from Cyprus (a Russian tax haven since the fall of the USSR) through Geneva, Switzerland. They will see more family office investments from Zug and Zurich in Switzerland, or from the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. There will be investments going into London through Africa from Geneva-based accounts. Russian Foreign Direct investment will increase. And there will be more money flowing toward Singapore, where the only problem is that the government makes it difficult to take that money out.</p><p>This is all to say that the mere creation of a list means that this particular Russian money making its way around the world will be longer and more winding.</p><p>"One of the counter moves by the Russian Ministry of Finance has already been [to] put in place mechanisms for Russia's elite to repatriate their fortunes through the issuance of Eurobonds," Zilberman said. "While Putin has for a while now been seeking for Russia's elite to bring home their billions, doing so would ultimately lessen Russian financial influence in Europe and beyond. Ultimately a win for the US and EU."</p><h2>Doing the least</h2><p>Now, I'm not saying that the Trump administration did the right thing with this list here. For one thing, it just so happens that, because of how the privatization of the USSR went down and how the country's economy was reconstructed afterwards, Russia's richest people are often inextricably linked to its state.</p><p>So the Forbes list was likely somewhat useful by accident of history.</p><p>What I am saying is that it's possible that the CAATSA was written by lawmakers who understood the unique challenge of the Trump presidency - a presidency that has given clue after clue that it is operating under the influence of Russia, in some measure.</p><p>This law was written with the understanding that the Trump administration will only move against Russia if it has to, and that (by its very nature) it is an administration that often tries to look as if it it's doing the most, while it's really doing the least. (<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/01/did-the-white-house-copy-its-russian-oligarchs-list-from-forbes?mbid=social_twitter">See: Steve Mnuchin's one-sheet tax plan.</a>)</p><p>What's more, it's also important to remember that sanctions aren't something to be thrown around hastily. Last year, Eric Lorber, now senior adviser to the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Treasury, testified about Russian sanctions before Congress. This was before he took his post at Treasury, and though hawkish on the need for action against Russia, he also warned that when sanctions are placed, they should be with a specific purpose in mind.</p><p>"Sanctions are a means to an end, and Congress and the administration must be clear as to what the end is and how to achieve it," he said. "Ramping up economic pressure on Moscow without clear objectives, the employment of other coercive tools, or the buy-in from the administration - is unlikely to get Moscow to change its behavior."</p><p>In short, when it comes to sanctions, there needs to be a plan. And you can be certain the Trump administration does not have one.</p>    <p class="tagline">This is an <keyword id="6356002" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="opinion">opinion</keyword> column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/benefits-of-regular-exercise-2018-1">What happens to your body when you start exercising regularly</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

In the shadowy world where finance meets national security, the Russian oligarch list actually does mean something

<strong><br /></strong><ul><li><strong>The <keyword id="6356955" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-states">United States</keyword> president, <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword>, highlighted how <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> was a ‘<keyword id="1772467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Free-society">free society</keyword>’ which has lifted millions out of poverty. </strong></li><li><strong>He also read out a list of friends that included India and Saudi Arabia, but on this list, North Korea was his number one ally.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The president’s ‘doctrine of patriotism’ while also propagating alliances may be at odds with each other, especially when it comes to <keyword id="460349" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-India-Relations">US-India relations</keyword>.</strong></li></ul>The president of United States Donald Trump had a lot to say at the <keyword id="426867" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Nations-General-Assembly">United Nations General Assembly</keyword> (UNGA). Some good and some bad, and amid lashing out at nations like Iran and China, Trump was able to slip in a few good words about India. <br /><br />Trump made a clear distinction between the ‘good’ and ‘not so good’ places around the world with India, Poland and Saudi Arabia falling into the former category and Iran, Nicaragua, Germany, China and any country that doesn’t ‘respect’ the United States falling into the latter.<br /><br />While commending India's efforts he stated - “There is India, a free society (of) over a billion people, successfully lifting countless millions out of poverty and into the middle class.”<br /><br />But here’s the thing, while propagating free societies, he also explicitly rejected the ‘<keyword id="6909683" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ideology-of-globalism">ideology of globalism</keyword>’ and imposing the ‘doctrine of patriotism’. He explained that the ‘nation state’ is only a vehicle where freedom and democracy manage to survive and peace prevails. <br /><br /><strong>US-India relations<br /></strong><br />Being <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-what-is-in-store-for-indias-22-talks-with-the-us/articleshow/65667426.cms">friends</a> with the United States and simultaneously being aligned to a ‘doctrine of patriotism’, as suggested by Trump, would put India at odds with the western nation. Because while United the States and India maintain their good relations, for now, policy issues on the horizon paint a more concerning picture. <br /><br />To start with, a lot of the new legislations and policy decisions made under the Trump administration are particularly harmful to India. Not only do they affect trade, as with the US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-may-bear-the-brunt-of-us-sanctions-against-iran/articleshow/65385157.cms">sanctions</a> against Iran, but have the potential to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/china-us-trade-war-just-escalated-into-its-worst-week-putting-india-on-watch/articleshow/65866962.cms">impact</a> India’s national interests and alliances with other nations. <br /><br />It’s a divergent process where Trump is expecting allies to come under his umbrella as he pursues policies that are against their energy and military requirements, two very strategic sectors of the economy. <br /><br />Trump added, “Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends.” Which he then substantiated by reading out a list of his ‘friends’.<br /><br />This list of friends reflected his personal relationships with world leaders rather than the alliances of the United States. North Korea, the country Trump was incredibly harsh against during last year’s UNGA, was at the top of this list.<br /><br />The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) deal, in particular, is of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-us-made-an-exception-for-an-ally-to-buy-russian-arms-and-it-may-get-a-dangerous-new-system-before-the-end-of-the-year/articleshow/65505604.cms">concern</a> because it could impact the India-Russia deal to purchase new S-400 surface-to-air missiles. And, it’s not an India-specific issue. Even nations like Saudi Arabia, who’ve also made into Trump’s ‘friends’ list, have plans of getting their hands on the advanced missile system by 2019.<br /><br />And, while most leaders take the opportunity on the UN stage to highlight the treaties and agreements that they’ve initiated, Trump chose to put all the protocols he’s rebelled against in the spotlight. <br /><br />Regardless of whether it intentional or unintentional, Trump claims he ‘meant’ to make world leaders laugh with his address to the <keyword id="6355833" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword>. And, laugh they did when Trump ‘boasted’ that his administration has managed to do more than any other in US history. <br /><br /><em>Representative image.</em><br />

Here’s what Trump had to say about India at the UN General Assembly

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Russian S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile systems at the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Turkey will reportedly start getting the S-400 air-defense system it bought from Russia next year.</strong></li><li><strong>The purchase has raised tensions between Turkey and its NATO allies, especially the US.</strong></li><li><strong>Turkey is not the only US partner buying the S-400, which has frustrated US lawmakers and <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> officials.</strong></li></ul><p>Russia will start delivering its advanced S-400 missile defense system to Turkey in 2019, the Interfax news agency cited Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport as saying on Tuesday.</p><p>A Turkish defense official <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-turkey-says-russian-s-400-missile-delivery-brought-forward-to-july-2019-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in April</a> that the delivery of the S-400 batteries had been brought forward from the first quarter of 2020 to July 2019.</p><p>Turkey and Russia negotiated the purchase <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-agreed-to-buy-russias-s-400-missle-system-concerns-about-nato-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">throughout 2017,</a> finalizing a deal worth <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-turkey-russia-sign-deal-to-supply-s-400-missiles-to-turkey-cnn-turk-2017-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some $2.5 billion</a> at the end of the year. Turkey's purchase of the Russian-made air-defense system has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/turkeys-purchase-of-russian-missiles-ratchet-tensions-up-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">racheted up tensions</a> between Ankara and the rest of the NATO alliance.</p><p>The missile system is not interoperable with NATO weapons systems. A Turkish officials said last year that the S-400 will not come with a friend-or-foe identification system, meaning it could be fired any target. In September, Turkey's state media agency <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-anadolu-tweets-about-s-400-missiles-shooting-down-us-planes-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted an infographic</a> listing aircraft and missiles the S-400 could target, including NATO planes.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the UN General Assembly in New York, September 21, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The US has also expressed concern that Turkey's deployment of the S-400 could risk the security of several US-made weapons used by Turkey, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.</p><p>US legislators included a provision in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-didnt-mention-john-mccain-while-signing-ndaa-named-after-him-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed by</a> President Donald Trump earlier this month, that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-halts-f-35-sale-to-turkey-over-mattis-objection-amid-tensions-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bars delivery of the F-35 to Turkey</a> until the Pentagon completes an assessment of relations between the US and Turkey and the effect of Ankara's purchase of the S-400.</p><p>Turkey has already received two of the roughly 100 F-35s it planned to buy, and the measure blocking further deliveries came over the objections of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Turkey <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-defence-usa/turkey-will-apply-international-arbitration-if-f-35-jet-sales-blocked-erdogan-says-haberturk-tv-idUSKBN1KI0OC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has said</a> it will pursue international arbitration over the blocked F-35 sale.</p><p>The US has also put tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum over Ankara's refusal to free a US pastor held there. Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-exclusive-trump-vows-no-concessions-with-turkey-over-detained-us-pastor-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has said</a> there "will be no concessions" on that issue.</p><p>Rosoboronexport also said it would switch to using local currencies in deals with foreign trade partners, instead of using the dollar, RIA news agency reported, according to Reuters.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCIAF5S0PW&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1806&amp;RH=916#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCIAF5S0PW&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1806&amp;RH=916&amp;POPUPPN=1&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1FFKPDK1">Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russian S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade, marking the 71st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Turkey is not the first foreign buyer of the S-400. China <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-buys-s-400-russian-air-defense-systems-2015-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">finalized a deal</a> with Rosoboronexport in late 2014 to upgrade its existing S-300 batteries with the S-400 system. Russia's official news agency, Tass, reported in May 2018 that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-russian-s-400-air-defense-system-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China had taken delivery</a> of its first S-400 regiment.</p><p><span>And Turkey may not be the last US partner to frustrate Washington with an S-400 purchase. </span><span>India's defense minister said in July that New Delhi's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-going-with-russia-s-400-missile-deal-despite-us-sanctions-risk-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plan to buy the S-400</a> was at an "almost conclusive stage." </span></p><p><span>US officials <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-weapons-causing-problems-for-us-india-military-ties-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tried to warn India away</a> from the deal, citing potential challenges to interoperability and issues with the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which aims to penalize entities doing business with Russian arms or intelligence sectors. US lawmakers ultimately approved an exemption to CAATSA for countries like India that still use Russian-made weapons in the NDAA.</span></p><p><span>Saudi Arabia and Qatar are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-weapons-causing-problems-for-us-india-military-ties-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">both also considering</a> buying the S-400.</span></p><p>(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Andrew Osborn)</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comparing-russia-most-advanced-military-equipment-nato-hardware-us-defense-2017-1">How Russia's most advanced military equipment stacks up against NATO hardware</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Turkey will reportedly start getting Russia's advanced missile defense system in 2019, despite US efforts to block it

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Chris McGrath/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul><li><strong>The White House has been engulfed in crisis after crisis over the last week and a half, all of which were self-inflicted.</strong></li><li><strong>President Trump sparked controversy at every turn, including during his trip to the NATO summit, his UK visit, his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the bizarre press conference that followed, and his comments and statements back here in the US.</strong></li><li><strong>The last week and a half "sits at or near the top of a string of foreign policy blunders for this administration," said one Russia expert.</strong></li><li><strong>"<span>Trump proved he is not a global leader," said another.</span></strong></li></ul><p>The White House is in crisis management mode, thanks to a string of damaging foreign policy faux pas President Donald Trump made over the last ten days.</p><p>Mark Simakovsky, a former Department of Defense official who focuses on Russia policy, put it bluntly, saying the last week and a half sits "at or near the top" of the White House's biggest blunders since Trump took office.</p><p><span>William Pomeranz, the deputy director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center, echoed that point. </span></p><p><span>This week</span>, he said, "Trump proved he is not a global leader."</p><h2>Trump criticizes NATO and accuses Germany of being 'totally controlled by' Russia</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst</span></p><p class="caption">Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>It started last Wednesday, when Trump embarked on a trip to the annual NATO summit.</p><p>He kicked it off by firing off a series of tweets criticizing NATO while on his way to the meeting.</p><p>Later, Trump said NATO allies had agreed to increase their defense spending "at levels that they never thought of before." Several other NATO leaders disputed that claim, saying member nations had recommitted to a 2014 pledge to spend 2% of national GDP on defense by 2024.</p><p>But by far the most shocking moment of the trip came when Trump accused Germany, one of the US's closest western allies, of being "totally controlled by" and "a captive of Russia" because it greenlit the building of Nord Stream 2, a Russian pipeline, through part of Germany.</p><p>Pomeranz<span> noted that the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) includes a provision allowing the US to sanction the building of new pipelines after consulting with allies.</span><span></span></p><p><span>"What's interesting is the US has the ability to stop this pipeline or sanction those who build it, but rather than saying that, Trump is using the pipeline to criticize Germany and [Chancellor Angela Merkel]," Pomeranz said.</span></p><p><span>There are already significant divisions between European Union (EU) member states about the pipeline. But "rather than being diplomatic about them, Trump threw himself into the middle of these differences to continue to drive a wedge through the EU," Pomeranz said.</span></p><h2><span>Trump: The EU is a 'foe' of the US</span></h2><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Peter Nicholls/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Demonstrators float a blimp portraying U.S. President Donald Trump, in Parliament Square, during the visit by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in London, Britain July 13, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>After the NATO summit came Trump's visit to the UK, where he was met with massive demonstrations in London and a giant "Trump baby" balloon floating in the sky above the British capital.</p><p>Trump was also widely mocked for breaking protocol when meeting Queen Elizabeth II.</p><p>Among other things, Twitter users ripped into the US president for making the queen wait for 10 minutes, shaking her hand instead of bowing, walking with his jacket unbuttoned, and turning his back to the queen during their meeting at Windsor Castle.</p><p>Two days later, Trump again stunned observers when he labeled the EU a "foe" of the US when asked who he thought the US's biggest competitor is.</p><p>The president's remark prompted Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, to speak out.</p><p>Europe "can no longer completely rely on the White House," Maas told the Funke media group on Monday.</p><p>He added that Europe "must not let itself be divided, however sharp the verbal attacks and absurd the tweets may be."</p><h2>Trump sides with Putin over the US intelligence community</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Following his UK visit, Trump departed for the most consequential leg of his trip: a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland.</p><p>The optics of the meeting were particularly important because it came after the special counsel Robert Mueller filed hacking charges against 12 Russian intelligence officers related to their interference in the 2016 election. The indictment was monumental because it was the first time Mueller pointed a finger directly at the Russian government.</p><p>But during a surreal press conference after the meeting on Monday, instead of holding the Russian leader accountable, Trump touted the <span>"direct, open, deeply productive dialogue" he had with Putin. </span></p><p><span>And national security experts said that, in turn, Putin played Trump like a fiddle.</span></p><p>For much of the presser, Trump stood next to Putin and spent more time denigrating his political opponents and intelligence agencies than he did a hostile foreign power.</p><p>Things devolved further when Trump indicated that he believed Putin over the US intelligence community on Russian election interference, declined to denounce Putin, and suggested the FBI was part of a conspiracy to undermine his election victory.</p><p>"My people came to me ... they said they think it's Russia" that interfered, Trump said. "I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."</p><p>He added that he had "great confidence" in his "intelligence people" but that Putin "was extremely strong and powerful in his denial" of Russian meddling.</p><h2>Trump's own intelligence chief and State Department rebuke him</h2><p><span>Trump's comments floored lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and some of his staunchest allies. They even prompted the former CIA director John Brennan to accuse the president of treason.</span></p><p>But Glenn Carle, a longtime former CIA spy, said he wasn't the least bit surprised by the presser because "it's becoming more and more clear that Trump is either a witting or unwitting Russian asset."</p><p><span>Following the bizarre press conference, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats publicly split with Trump on Russian interference.</span></p><p><span>Trump later walked back his comments, saying he misspoke and meant to say he didn't see any reason why it <em>wouldn't</em> be Russia who interfered. He said he accepted the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled, though he later tacked on: "Could be other people also. There's a lot of people out there."</span></p><p><span>Trump again sparked controversy on Wednesday when he appeared to answer "no" to a reporter's question about whether Russia was still targeting the US via cyberattacks and election meddling, directly contradicting Coats and other top US intelligence officials.</span></p><p><span>But White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said Trump was saying "no" to taking more questions, not answering the question itself.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Finland-Trump-Putin-Summit/a142c5b8161a41e3a8adb6ff229d60f2/5/0">AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais</a></span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a one-on-one-meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Monday, July 16, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Then came Thursday, during which the </span><span>White House drew scorn for saying Trump was considering Putin's request to turn over Michael McFaul, the US's former ambassador to Russia, for questioning related to financial crimes the Kremlin alleges were committed by Bill Browder, a wealthy banker, human-rights activist, and Putin critic.</span></p><p><span>The State Department came out shortly after and said Putin's proposal was "absurd."</span></p><p><span>Former national security adviser Susan Rice tweeted that the lack of commitment to protecting McFaul was "beyond outrageous."</span></p><p><span>A current US diplomat <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-officials-at-a-fucking-loss-over-latest-russia-sell-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Beast</a> that Trump's consideration of Putin's request indicated that "the president has first and foremost his interests at the top of his mind, as opposed to the government's. That's very clear over the past week and a half, between s------ on our NATO allies and kissing Putin's ass."</span></p><p><span>"Either he's compromised by Putin or he's a p---y, in which case he should grab himself," this person said, according to the report.</span></p><p><span>And the Senate, in a rare unified rebuke of Trump on Russia, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/senate-vote-trump-russia-officials-mcfaul-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted unanimously</a> on Thursday in favor of a resolution expressing Congress's opposition to the US government allowing Russia to question US officials.</span></p><p><span>Amid the criticism, the White House again walked back its stance, saying that while Trump thought Putin's offer was sincere, he disagreed with it.</span></p><p>Later on Thursday, the White House dropped another bombshell: Trump wanted to invite Putin to Washington in the fall, close to the midterm elections, for another meeting.</p><p><span>Coats, who was speaking at the annual Aspen Security Forum when the news broke, reacted to it on live television.</span></p><p><span>When MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, who was interviewing him, informed him of the development, Coats asked her to repeat herself because he felt he wasn't hearing her correctly. When she confirmed, again, that Trump wanted to invite Putin to Washington, Coats said, "OK ... That's gonna be special."</span></p><p><span>Meanwhile, it also doesn't seem like Trump's legal troubles back in the US will let up any time soon. In addition to Mueller continuing to dig into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow, The New York Times reported on Friday that Michael Cohen, Trump's embattled former lawyer, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-recorded-conversation-with-trump-about-playboy-model-payments-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secretly recorded discussions with Trump</a> shortly before the election about payments to a former Playboy model.</span></p><p><span>Though Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, attempted to play off the news, legal experts <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/legal-experts-michael-cohen-secretly-recording-trump-is-bad-news-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Business Insider</a> the bombshell was unlike anything they'd heard of - and it could be very bad news for Trump.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/diehard-mac-user-switches-pc-windows-2018-7">A diehard Mac user switches to PC</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

You Searched For "CAATSA" and got 6 results

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Turkey will reportedly start getting Russia's advanced missile defense system in 2019, despite US efforts to block it

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