Trump says he will veto defense bill including sanctions on Turkey
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US President Donald Trump has said that he will veto the defense budget bill although it passed both houses of Congress by more than a two-thirds majority, allowing lawmakers to override the president's veto.
"The biggest winner of our defense bill is China! I will veto!" Trump wrote on Twitter yesterday (December 13).
Along with other provisions, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) also mandates sanctions on Turkey for its procurement of the S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
According to the bill, the president has to impose at least five of the 12 sanctions listed in Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
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The sanctions include banning individuals or entities from procurement of US goods or services, blocking foreign exchange transactions under US jurisdiction and denying US visas to sanctioned people.
Turkey signed an agreement with Russia to buy the missile system in April 2017 and received the first batch of missiles last July.
Despite attempts by Congress, Trump has so far avoided sanctioning Turkey.
He now has to sanction Turkey within 30 days after the law is passed.
The CAATSA sanctions
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(TP/VK)