ANKARA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will retaliate if the United States imposes sanctions over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday.
Such sanctions would be "unacceptable. We will take retaliatory measures in case of a hostile adversary attitude," Cavusoglu said in an interview with private TV channel TGRT News.
"This is neither a threat nor a bluff," he added.
When asked about the U.S. decision to remove Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, the Turkish minister said if Turkey doesn't get the 100 aircraft it has ordered, Ankara "will meet its demands from other sources until it produces its own."
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday with Republican senators at the White House to discuss potential sanctions against Turkey.
Some Republican lawmakers have called on Trump to impose sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act that aims to prevent countries from purchasing military equipment from Russia.
On Saturday, Cavusoglu discussed the issue of Turkey's suspension from the F-35 program with his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo by phone.
