Turkey has secretly banned the export of U.S. military-grade goods to Russia following warnings from Washington about the consequences if trade continued.
According to three sources familiar with the matter, Turkey has adjusted its customs system in recent weeks to block the export of more than four dozen categories of U.S.-origin goods to Russia. These items are considered critical to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by Washington and its Western allies.
One source explained that Turkey’s electronic customs system no longer allows exporters to send shipments of so-called “battlefield goods” to Russia. Similar goods from the EU have also been restricted.
The restrictions, which cover civilian items such as microchips and remote-control systems that Western allies claim are used in weaponry, have not been publicly announced due to the “political sensitivity” of the issue, one source added.
Turkey’s Ministry of Trade and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not respond to requests for comment.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has positioned himself as a potential peacemaker in the war in Ukraine while maintaining warm relations with Putin. However, these recent secret bans on military exports to Russia signal a shift away from Ankara’s earlier role as a “lifeline from Western sanctions” at the outset of the war.
The prohibited items are part of a list of 50 “priority” Western-manufactured goods that the U.S., UK, EU, and Japan have identified as crucial to Russia’s military imports. These include advanced electronics commonly found in missiles and drones shot down in Ukraine, such as processors and memory cards, as well as machine tools and other equipment used for arms production.
In addition to trade restrictions, Turkish banks have significantly curtailed their dealings with Russian counterparts. This followed a U.S. directive threatening sanctions against lenders involved in transactions that support Putin’s military machine.
