Ukraine’s Ambassador: Most sanctions-evading flows from Türkiye to Russia halted
Photo: The circumvention of sanctions against Russia through Türkiye has been stopped in most cases (Getty Images)
Most of the flows from Türkiye to Russia that bypass international sanctions have been halted. Türkiye is also interested in avoiding secondary sanctions, according to the Ukrainian Ambassador to Türkiye, Vasyl Bodnar, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
As the ambassador noted, Türkiye has a very specific position regarding the policy on sanctions. Türkiye only joins sanctions imposed by the United Nations or the UN Security Council.
"Therefore, the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States or other institutions are considered non-binding for Türkiye. This policy has been in place since 2014," he said.
According to him, Ukraine constantly engages in dialogue with Türkiye on this issue, urging it to take a more proactive stance, especially regarding avoiding sanctions evasion.
Bodnar mentioned that the issue was particularly relevant in 2022-2023 when Russia attempted to export stolen grain from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories through Türkiye to other markets or to Türkiye itself. Western companies also tried transporting dual-use products, electronics, or other goods to Russia through Türkiye.
"Today, most of these flows have been stopped. The Turkish side is also interested in this to avoid secondary sanctions. We have established a bilateral dialogue on this issue. There have already been delegations in Türkiye that communicated with most government bodies involved in foreign trade and the banking sector. We have also communicated with business structures that are fully committed to cooperating to avoid companies or proposals involving sanction circumvention"
Bodnar admitted that "not everything can be done immediately, that's true." He explained that each case has its unique circumstances and path.
"And it's not just about Türkiye-Russia; there are also third or fourth countries, such as possible supplies to Georgia or Kazakhstan, which may not end up in those countries, or the recipient is, in fact, the aggressor country. Therefore, we work in great detail with each company and each case. There are many mechanisms here, but the main one is bilateral dialogue, mutual understanding, and mutual trust," the ambassador added.
It is worth noting that Türkiye is one of the countries helping Russia maintain its economy and military machine. In August, the US warned Türkiye about the consequences of exporting military equipment to Russia. Washington demands that Türkiye stop supplying microchips and other components used in Russian military equipment.
