Sales of military equipment from Turkiye to Russia increased: Financial Times

While the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, the British Financial Times newspaper claimed that the sale of military equipment from Turkiye to Russia has increased recently.

"The increase in shipments of banned parts is fuelling Western suspicions that Turkish companies are Moscow's conduit. Turkish exports to Russia of goods vital to Moscow's war machine have surged this year, fuelling concerns by the United States and its allies that Turkiye is acting as a conduit for sensitive products from its own manufacturers," The Financial Times said in its report.

"Increased trade and the associated rise in imports into Turkiye of 45 civilian supplies used by the Russian military have undermined United States and European attempts to block Moscow's ability to equip its armed forces and fuelled tensions between Ankara and its NATO partners," it added.

The Financial Times also reminded that Brian Nelson, the United States Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will visit Turkiye this week.

"In a sign of how reining in this trade has become a priority in Washington, Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will visit Istanbul and Ankara this week to discuss 'efforts to prevent, disrupt and investigate commercial and financial activities that benefit Russia's war against Ukraine', the Financial Times reported.

In the first nine months of 2023, Turkiye reported exports of $158 million worth of 45 products listed by the United States as "high priority" to Russia and five former Soviet countries suspected of acting as intermediaries for Moscow. This figure was three times the level recorded in the same period in 2022 when the war in Ukraine began.

The average figure between 2015-21 was $28 million, according to a Financial Times analysis based on data from the customs database Trade Data Monitor. The 45 categories of goods, including parts such as microchips, communications equipment, and telescopic sights, are subject to United States, European Union, Japanese, and United Kingdom export controls to prevent them from entering Russia. However, these controls can be circumvented by companies using intermediary structures to hide their final destination.

Source: Financial Times