The representative of the US Treasury Department, Brian Nelson, during a visit to Istanbul, warned Turkey about the consequences of helping the Russians circumvent Western sanctions.
Reuters writes about it.
In his speech to bankers, Nelson emphasized that the significant annual growth of exports to Russia makes Turkish companies "particularly vulnerable to reputational and sanction risks" or risk losing the markets of the "Great Seven" countries.
During meetings in Ankara and Istanbul, Nelson and his delegation said Turkish companies were exporting tens of millions of dollars worth of goods to Russia, according to a senior US official interviewed by Reuters.
"There is nothing surprising in the fact that Russia actively seeks to use its historical economic ties with Turkey. The question is what Turkeyʼs response will be," the American official said.
Nelson also called on Turkish bankers to strictly check Russian-related transactions and noted that Russian oligarchs continue to buy real estate and moor yachts in Turkey.
He pointed to schemes by which the Russian Federation tries to evade Western restrictions on the supply of plastics, rubber, and semiconductors used for military purposes.
Nelson also delivered similar messages in the United Arab Emirates and Oman this week.
- Last September, five Turkish banks suspended the use of the Russian payment system Mir after the US Treasury imposed new sanctions and warned those who might help the Russians circumvent them.
- Turkeyʼs largest provider of ground aviation services, Havas, told Russian and Belarusian airlines on January 31 that it would stop providing spare parts, fuel and other services for their US-made aircraft in line with Western restrictions.