Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Sunday during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he seeks to expand trade cooperation between Ankara and Moscow.
“President Erdogan expressed his intention to increase cooperation between Turkey and Russia in several areas, including expanding the trade volume,” said the Turkish Presidency in a statement.
Although Turkey has been quick to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, it has maintained a neutral stance on the conflict and has not followed the West’s policies of imposing sanctions on Moscow.
Erdogan has justified this policy due to Turkey’s dependency on Russian oil and gas.
In September 2023, five Turkish companies were targeted by U.S. sanctions for supplying equipment to Russian defense companies.
In a letter sent in August 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury warned Turkish companies of an “increasing risk” as “Russia attempts to exploit” Turkey to “evade sanctions.”
The war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin refers to the conflict as a “special military operation” to demilitarize Ukraine.
In response, the West has imposed harsh sanctions on Russia, severely impacting its economy.
The war has resulted in thousands of deaths, and millions of others have been displaced from their homes. /REL
