Turkey has secretly banned the export of American military goods to Russia. This happened after Washington warned Ankara about possible “consequences”.
This is reported by the Financial Times with reference to three people directly familiar with the matter. According to the publication, in recent weeks Ankara has adjusted the work of its customs system to block the export of more than 40 categories of goods of American origin, which Washington and its Western allies consider vital for Russia's military actions in Ukraine.
The FT notes that Turkey's electronic customs system no longer allows exporters to send consignments of so-called “battlefield goods” to Russia. The supply of similar EU-origin goods to the Russian Federation has previously been blocked.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The restrictions apply to civilian components, such as microchips and remote control systems, which Western allies say are used in weapons. One of the interlocutors of the publication emphasized that the list of such goods was not publicly announced due to “political sensitivity”.
The banned goods are taken from a list of 50 “high priority” Western-made goods that the US, UK, EU and Japan have identified as key Russian imports for its arms industry. They include advanced electronics regularly found in missiles and drones shot down in Ukraine, such as processors and memory cards, as well as machine tools and other equipment used to manufacture weapons.
Assistant Minister U.S. Trade Representative Matthew Axelrod, who leads U.S. efforts to keep sensitive technology out of the hands of America's adversaries, met with Turkish officials and leaders in Ankara and Istanbul in August. At the time, he warned that Turkey would face “consequences” if it did not take steps to end deals with Russia on such goods.
“We believe that the Turkish government has heard and understands our concerns. We are optimistic are set up and we will see the expansion of cooperation”, — Axelrod told the FT when asked about signs that Turkey is moving away from trading in such goods.