USA they warned in the last days Turkey regarding exports to Russia chemicals, microchips and other products that can be used by Moscow in military operations in Ukraine; Washington could potentially take action to enforce existing bans, a senior US official said.

Brian Nelson, a senior U.S. Treasury Department sanctions official, visited government and private sector officials in Turkey on Thursday and Friday to ask for more cooperation to stem the flow of such goods.

In their meetings in Ankara and Istanbul, Nelson and the US delegation raised concerns about tens of millions of dollars worth of Turkish exports to Russia, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the talks.

“No wonder… that Russia is actively trying to exploit its historical economic ties with Turkey,” the official said. “The question is what will Turkey’s response be?”

Ankara, a NATO member, opposes sweeping sanctions against Russia in principle, but maintains that Turkey is not circumventing those sanctions and urges the West to provide any evidence to the contrary.

Western countries have imposed export controls and sanctions since Moscow’s invasion almost a year ago. However, supply channels from Hong Kong, Turkey and other shopping centers remain open.

Citing reports from Russian customs, Reuters reported in December that at least $2.6 billion worth of computer components and other electronic devices had entered Russia in the seven months to October 31. Of these, at least $777 million was produced by Western companies whose microprocessors have found a place in Russian weapons systems.

The visit by Nelson, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, is the latest visit by a senior US official to Turkey to increase pressure on Ankara to enforce US sanctions against Russia.

In talks with Turkish companies this week, Nelson pointed out “urgently” that Russia is believed to be evading Western control in order to supply plastics, rubber and semiconductors that are exported and used by the military, the official said.

He added that after the U.S. took steps last year to pressure Russia to end the war, the U.S. is now focused “on circumventing sanctions, and especially the circumvention that we are seeing in third countries.” “.

Nelson also visited the United Arab Emirates and Oman to confirm that Washington will continue to aggressively impose sanctions, the US Treasury Department said last week.

Source: Reuters, APE-MPE.