Turkey began to block the delivery of sanctioned goods to Russia

The Turkish authorities have blocked the transit of goods from the European Union to Russia, including all goods subject to international sanctions. Representatives of several logistics companies reported this to the Kommersant-FM radio station and the “Agentstvo” publication. The restrictions were introduced shortly after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to Ankara.

As of March 9, the transit ban concerns about 10,000 items of goods, including electronics, spare parts, chemicals, and industrial equipment. Cargo worth up to three billion dollars in annual terms may be under threat, one of the market participants estimated.

By December, Russia became the third-largest destination for Turkish exports, deliveries to Russia were estimated at 1.3 billion dollars, according to the state statistics website. Relatives of the former head of intelligence of the Turkish Main Directorate of Security were involved in the Turkish supply of sanctioned electronics used in the defense industry, according to one of the journalistic investigations.

In February, the head of the US State Department, Anthony Blinken, paid an official visit to Turkey. Before the visit, experts noted that Washington was concerned about Turkey’s close relations with Moscow, the Voice of America noted.