The US consider sanctions against Ankara

1 the USA — Turkey The US have no plans to introduce economic sanctions against Turkey because of the decision to buy S-400 air defense systems from Russia — Donald Trump announced. He later clarified that the US are still considering an introduction of sanctions against Ankara, but there is no decision on this issue yet. Previously, the US have repeatedly threatened Turkey with economic sanctions for the purchase of the S-400s due to the ‘Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act’. Washington’s possible counter-measures include a cessation of Ankara’s participation in the F-35 program. Earlier, the Pentagon announced that by March of 2020, the Turkish participation in the program will be completely stopped. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the US refusal to deliver the purchased F-35s to Ankara as “robbery”.

2 the Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump announced that a US Navy warship, stationed in the Strait of Hormuz, destroyed an incoming Iranian UAV — Interfax reports while referring the Associated Press. According to him, the UAV was shot down by the landing ship USS Boxer, due to the fact that the UAV continued its movement towards the warship despite the warnings. «The UAV was immediately destroyed» — Donald Trump said and added that the target was about 900 meters away the American warship. The Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, after the US made the statement about the destroyed Iranian UAV, announced that Tehran has no information regarding the lost UAV.

3 Denmark

Denmark issued a permit for the laying of the Norwegian gas pipeline »Baltic Pipe», made for the delivery of natural gas to Poland. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency issued the first permit for the construction of a gas pipeline on the eastern coast of Denmark — TASS reports. The last permit needed for the construction of the pipeline is the approval from the Danish authorities for the construction of the offshore section of the pipeline in the waters of the country. The ‘Baltic Pipe’ project will link Norway, Denmark and Poland. The Norwegian gas will firstly pass through the bottom of the North Sea to Denmark, then it will go from Denmark to Poland via the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Poland considers this pipeline to be an alternative to the Russian gas, as well as the liquefied natural gas from the US. The Polish authorities intend to finish the construction of the gas pipeline by 1st of October, 2022.

4 the USA

The US Coast Guards need six new icebreakers in order to compete with Russia in the Arctic — said the deputy head of the US Coast Guards, Vice Admiral Daniel Abel, TASS reports. He mentioned that three of the six icebreakers should be big. Currently the US have only one icebreaker, Polar Star, and it turned 40 years old recently. The vice admiral noted that the Coast Guards expect to receive these ships as soon as possible, since Russia already has six bases in the Arctic, and six new icebreakers. The American plans of construction of six new icebreakers were announced in June of the last year. Back then, Donald Trump announced, at the ceremony of the change of the commander of the Coast Guards, that they will receive the first new heavy icebreaker for the past 40 years.