Algiers Under Pressure in U.S. Senate after Purchasing Russian Fighter Jets

The reports that the Algerian government has purchased Russian fighter jets and is negotiating the purchase of additional military aircrafts are “concerning” and may trigger U.S sanctions against Algiers, a senior State Department official affirmed before the United States Senate on Tuesday.

During a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on the Near East and Counterterrorism, in the presence of several influential senators, Robert Palladino, a senior official in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, emphasized that in light of these “concerning” reports, the U.S. government “is committed to countering America’s adversaries through Sanctions Act”.

Transactions like these “may trigger such a decision”, he warned before the U.S senators, adding that “this is something that we will watch closely”.

During this hearing, Robert Palladino and Joel Borkert, Deputy Coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the State Department, answered questions from U.S. senators on countering terrorism in North Africa and efforts to protect American interests in the region.

It is in this context that Senator Jeanne Shaheen questioned them about reports that the Algerian government has purchased Russian fighter aircraft and that “it is in talks to purchase even more, because the delivery of American aircraft would take too long,” as well as about possible U.S. sanctions as a consequence for this act.