Turkey has reportedly restricted shipments of components found in Russian weapons to Russia following US warnings.
The Financial Times (
FT), citing “three people with direct knowledge of the matter,” said Turkey has blocked exports of 48 categories of US-originated sensitive components such as microchips to Russia at Washington’s request.
One person told the FT that Turkey’s electronic customs system has barred exporters from sending so-called “battlefield goods” to Russia.
Two others told the publication similar measures against EU-originated components were introduced earlier.
One of the three said the decision was not publicized due to “political sensitivities.”
“The banned goods are taken from a list of 50 ‘high-priority’ Western-made items that the US, UK, EU and Japan have identified as crucial to Russia’s imports for its arms industry,” the FT reported, adding that they included “processors and memory cards, as well as machine tools and other equipment used to produce weapons.”
Matthew Axelrod, the US assistant commerce secretary tasked with curbing sensitive technology flow to Washinton’s adversaries, reportedly warned Turkish officials of “consequences” should Ankara continue the dealings during his August trip to Turkey.
An FT graph showed that Turkey’s sensitive goods exports to Russia peaked in December 2022 at $37.6 million and reduced drastically a year later, when the US expanded its financial sanctions on Russia.
