Turkey is known to follow a completely autonomous course in relation to the other NATO member states with regard to Russia, not imposing sanctions against it, while at the same time there were serious suspicions that it is the “Trojan horse” of the West, through which Putin the embargo on weapons systems and critical spare parts procures them.
Turkish exports of military products to Russia soar
Amid the war in Ukraine, the US and its allies have imposed export controls to prevent dual-use items – goods that can be used in civilian and military applications – from reaching Russia. The goal is to block the production of war material in Russia by limiting access to items that could help its military, such as microchips, telescopic sights and communications equipment.
Turkey exported 45 categories of items for military use to Russia and 5 former Soviet Republics
NATO ally Turkey exported 45 categories of goods worth $158 million that the US considers “high priority” to Russia and five other former Soviet countries between January and September 2023. That’s three times the level of exports during the same period last year.
The number of sensitive goods exported from Turkey to the five ex-Soviet countries reportedly did not line up with their reported imports, raising the question of whether the goods actually went directly to Russia.
Turkish benefits from trade with Russia
Turkey officially sponsors the export of parts and spare parts to Russia, critical for its war industry. In this way, Erdoğan is looking to reap benefits from Putin which are focused on the following areas:
1. Acquisition of missile know-how and technology, something that seems to be bearing fruit, taking into account the fact of the development of the surface-to-surface missile TYFONA with a range of 561 km and with tendencies to further increase this, the long-range anti-aircraft missile SIPER-against the Turks of the S family -400 and Patriot and the domestic air-to-air missiles of the F-16 fighter jets.
2. Co-ownership in the Black Sea, with Turkish Rear Admiral Tatlioglu recently stating that he does not want a NATO presence in the Black Sea, clearly showing Turkish intentions to turn it into a Russo-Turkish lake.
3. Russian tolerance of the Armenia-Azerbaijan rivalry in favor of the latter, in order to facilitate the opening of the Zangezur corridor, but also of Nakhchivan, through Armenian territory in the south of the country, with Azerbaijan.
Thus, Turkey will border by land with Azerbaijan and through it with the Caspian Sea and then with the countries of the “Organization of Turkish States”, implementing part of the neo-Ottoman plan of the Turkish President.
In any case, the US is waiting for the imposition of new sanctions on its “stern ally” Turkey.
