WASHINGTON – Turkey’s trade data has started to reflect that Ankara has stopped allowing the re-exportation of sanctioned Western goods to Russia after repeated warnings from Washington, a senior US Treasury Department official told reporters on Tuesday.
Washington has stepped up diplomatic pressure on countries and private companies globally to ensure enforcement of the barrage of sanctions it has unleashed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, warning that it will take action against those helping Russia.
Turkey’s exports to Russia stood at $730.36 million in April, dropping 19.2 percent from $904.05 million in March, data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) showed. The country’s exports to Russia were still up 85.4 percent in April compared with the same month last year, according to the data.
James O’Brien, head of the US State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, said last month that Washington would monitor Ankara’s trade data with Moscow in anticipation of a drop after Turkey, under pressure from the G7, agreed to stop the transit to Russia of Western goods prohibited under sanctions.
The United States and its allies imposed extensive financial penalties on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, and Washington has since sought to crack down on sanctions evasion.
But supply channels have remained open from Russia’s Black Sea neighbor Turkey and other trading hubs, including Hong Kong. — Reuters
