On Sunday, the former US Secretary of Defence, Robert M. Gates, advised President-elect Joe Biden to hold Turkey accountable. He made such a proposal in his article for The New York Times.
Gates, who served under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, from 2006 to 2011, said that Biden should be tough on Turkey. He stressed that Washington would have to make Ankara pay for its deal with Russia to buy S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM). According to the ex-minister, the anti-Turkish sanctions imposed by the incumbent head of the White House, Donald Trump, can be considered a good step in this direction.
Also, Gates writes, Biden will have to take certain measures against Turkey because of its actions in Libya and Syria, which are contrary to the interests of other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO).
The ex-minister also said that the new US leader with his administration will have to make Germany responsible for its insignificant contributions to support NATO, as well as for Berlin’s disregard for the economic and security interests of Poland and Ukraine to benefit from the use of Russia’s Nord Stream II gas pipeline.
Earlier in December, the former Trump aide Fiona Hill gave Biden advice on Russia. She said that Biden should not adopt Obama’s dismissive approach to Russia and stressed that many of the key challenges facing Biden will require cooperation with the Russian authorities.