Financial Times: Turkey’s sales of military equipment to Russia increased

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, the British newspaper Financial Times made a notable claim.

The newspaper writes that the sale of materials with military connections from Turkey to Russia has increased. The newspaper said: “The rise in shipments of banned parts increases Western suspicions that Turkish companies are conduits for Moscow. Turkish exports to Russia of goods vital to Moscow’s war machine have increased this year, raising concerns among the United States and its allies that Turkey is acting as a conduit for sensitive products from its own manufacturers. “The increase in trade and the resulting increase in imports to Turkey of 45 civilian materials used by the Russian military have undermined attempts by the United States and Europe to hinder Moscow’s ability to equip its armed forces and have fueled tensions between Ankara and its NATO partners,” he said. saying.

HIGH-LEVEL US VISIT TO Türkiye

The Financial Times recalled that Brian Nelson, US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will come to Turkey this week and visit Istanbul and Ankara. The newspaper stated that Washington’s priority is this issue and this visit confirms it.

“In a sign of how controlling this trade has become a priority in Washington, Brian Nelson, US Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, visited Istanbul and Ankara this week to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine,” reported the Financial Times. He will discuss efforts to prevent, disrupt, and investigate beneficial business and financial activities.

In the first nine months of 2023, Turkey reported $158 million in exports of 45 products that the United States lists as “high priority” to Russia and five former Soviet countries suspected of acting as middlemen for Moscow. This figure tripled the level recorded in the same period in 2022, when the war in Ukraine began.

According to the Financial Times analysis based on data from the Trade Data Monitor customs database, the average figure between 2015 and 2021 was $28 million. 45 categories of products, including parts such as microchips, communications equipment and rifle scopes, are subject to export controls by the United States, the EU, Japan and the United Kingdom aimed at preventing their entry into Russia. However, these controls can be circumvented by companies that use intermediary structures to hide their final destination.

Türkiye AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES CLAIM

The newspaper states that “Turkish imports of high-priority goods from G7 countries increased by more than 60% this year compared to the same periods between 2015 and 2021, reaching approximately $500 million.”

“Turkey, along with the United Arab Emirates, often serves as an intermediary destination for Russian entities seeking to use multi-stage import routes to bypass controls,” a European official overseeing sanctions against Russia told the Financial Times. “Türkiye was especially used to supply European products,” he said.