US sanctions 5 Turkiye firms for 'supporting' Moscow

Joe Biden

15 September 2023; MEMO: The Biden administration, on Thursday, imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine, Reuters reports.

According to the report, the companies are accused of helping repair sanctioned vessels tied to Russia’s Defence Ministry and helping the transfer of “dual-use goods”.

“For the past 18 months, we’ve shared our concerns with the Turkish government and private sector and informed them of the significant risks of doing business with those we’ve sanctioned who are tied to Russia’s war,” a senior US Treasury official said.

It is part of a bigger package of measures hitting Russia with sanctions on more than 150 targets, including the country’s largest carmaker, the report added.

The United States and its allies imposed extensive sanctions on Russia after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Though supply channels from Black Sea neighbour, Turkiye, and other trading hubs have remained open.