Turkey Reportedly Curbs Sensitive Shipments to Russia After US Warning

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. 

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The publication attributed the decline to the Kremlin’s shift to intermediaries in countries such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, where it said the latest restrictions from Turkey do not apply to these nations.

Turkey, despite being a NATO member, has positioned itself as an intermediary in the war in Ukraine and maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, including efforts to mediate peace talks in the early days of Russia’s 2022 invasion and the subsequent Black Sea Grain Deal.

With Ukraine, Turkey supplied its Bayraktar drones to Kyiv during the early days of the war, which played a significant role in helping Kyiv counter the Russian invasion in 2022. Earlier reports in 2022 also indicated plans for the drone manufacturer to set up shops in Kyiv, and Turkey later granted Ukraine the license to produce the drones in June 2023, though it’s unclear if the plans progressed.

Turkey also facilitated the return of some Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWS) who took part in defending Mariupol’s Azovstal from Russian captivity in July 2023 to the Kremlin’s displeasure.

That said, Ankara has also been fostering its ties with Moscow.

Turkey has recently voiced its desire to join the Kremlin-led BRICS bloc, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally attending the ongoing BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan on the highest level.

If admitted, Turkey would be the first NATO member in a bloc that sees itself as a counterweight to Western powers.

In 2017, Turkey also purchased the S-400 missile defense systems from Russia to Washington’s displeasure, who then expelled Ankara from the US F-35 stealth fighter program.

However, recent rumors suggested that Turkey might sell the missiles to third nations to appease Washington, while others suggested that Ankara would keep them in storage and allow US inspections as a compromise.