Turkish lira weakens 0.3 pct, pressured by diplomatic row

The Turkish lira eased to 5.62 against the dollar early on Wednesday, remaining under pressure after weakening a day earlier as the United States halted delivery of equipment related to a Turkish order of F-35 fighter planes.
Washington warned that Ankara's insistence on buying Russian S-400 defense systems risked triggering sanctions. However, Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he expected to resolve the dispute with Turkey over the S-400s.
The lira stood at 5.6185 against the dollar at 0427 GMT. It closed at 5.60 on Tuesday, having weakened as far as 5.68 in late trade.
The lira has also been pressured by local election results showing President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party on track to lose control of both Ankara and Istanbul, his popularity hit by a recession, in large part triggered by the currency weakness.
The AKP submitted objections to the...