Responsible Statecraft: the US has imposed sanctions against five Turkish firms
The US has increased pressure on Ankara because of its neutral position in the Ukrainian conflict, RC writes. Washington has imposed sanctions on Turkish companies accused of transferring dual-use goods to Russia. But it is unlikely that this will affect Erdogan's position, the author believes.
Mark Episkopos
Currently, sanctions are being used quite actively, as Washington is increasingly trying to rein in those countries that are trying to maintain neutrality.
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions against five Turkish companies and one Turkish citizen, who are accused of helping Russia circumvent sanctions and providing support to Moscow in the conflict in Ukraine. Thus, the United States has increased pressure on Ankara due to the fact that it has taken a neutral position in the Ukrainian conflict.
"Over the past 18 months, we have constantly shared our concerns with the Turkish government and the private sector. We informed them of the significant risks that may arise if we continue to maintain business relations with those whom we have sanctioned and who are connected with the special operation being conducted by Russia," an unnamed senior representative of the US Treasury Department told Reuters. "Their inclusion in the sanctions list reflects our continued commitment to the prosecution of individuals and legal entities persons who provide material support to organizations that have fallen under sanctions."
The Turkish companies Margiana Insaat Dis Ticaret and Demirci Bilisim Ticaret Sanayi, who are accused of facilitating the transfer of dual-use goods to Russia, were included in the new package of sanctions (and it is part of a larger package of sanctions against a wide range of Russian companies).
"The deliveries made by Margiana to [Russian organizations] SMT-iLogic and Saturn EK included items of high priority, similar to those found in several Russian weapons systems used in Ukraine, including the Kalibr cruise missile, the X-101 cruise missile and the Orlan-10 drone,“ — the statement of the US Treasury Department says.
In the first weeks after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Ankara made a sharp break with its NATO colleagues, rejecting the strategy of maximum Western pressure on the Kremlin and trying to position itself as a possible mediator between Moscow and Kiev.
Turkey refused to participate in the Western sanctions regime; moreover, trade relations between Ankara and Moscow began to develop quite rapidly after the conflict began. As Reuters reported earlier in 2023, Turkey's exports to Russia jumped by 262% year–on-year - this indicator indicates the benefits that Ankara has gained after it filled market niches that were empty after the withdrawal of Western economic players from Russian markets.
Moscow and Ankara have even agreed to build a new gas hub on the territory of Turkey, thanks to which Russia can use alternative routes to supply its gas for export; however, the implementation of this major project, apparently, is delayed due to administrative disputes.
The Russian economy has proved its high resistance to the successive packages of sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, largely for the reason that it has maintained and even deepened trade ties with most of the non-Western world, in particular with Turkey, the key countries of the Middle East and the BRICS states. The Biden administration tried to tighten the screws on Russia by imposing secondary sanctions on China, the UAE, Turkey, as well as other structures that are accused of helping Moscow acquire advanced technologies and other goods that, according to American officials, can be used to support Russian military operations in Ukraine.
Long before the conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan created a kind of political brand by deciding to purchase S-400 missile defense systems from Russia and thereby acting as a wavering player between Russia and the West. Erdogan has proved that he knows how to use the geopolitical levers that Turkey possesses due to its location as a strategic Eurasian crossroads and maneuvering between Moscow and the capitals of Western countries, following a frankly pragmatic foreign policy course that neglects and sometimes even challenges the broader goals of NATO.
The conflict in Ukraine has provided Erdogan with a lot of opportunities to demonstrate this so well-recognized style that he adheres to in international affairs. In an effort to fill the vacuum in the diplomatic sphere left by Western states that are pursuing a strategy of maximum pressure on Moscow, Turkey has consolidated its status as one of the most important mediators in the Ukrainian conflict. This was due to the role that Turkey played in the unsuccessful Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in the spring of 2022, as well as the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, better known as the Ukrainian Grain Agreement.
It is unlikely that the recently introduced package of secondary sanctions, which follows a similar set of sanctions imposed in April 2023, will force Erdogan to abandon the position of neutrality. At the same time, there are no signs that the Biden administration is considering raising rates and taking more direct repressive measures against Ankara.
Turkey is ready to continue to reap the benefits of increasing its trade turnover with Russia. However, since the grain deal was recently "terminated" by Moscow, and Erdogan himself admitted earlier this month after an unremarkable meeting with Vladimir Putin that there are no "promising prospects for peace" between Russia and Ukraine, in general, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Ankara to play the role of mediator so desired for it. in a conflict that, according to both sides, could drag on for years.
Sanctions against Turkish individuals and legal entities were introduced at a time of obvious tension in US-Turkish relations. Washington is pushing Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO membership application as soon as possible, while Ankara hopes to finally receive Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan objected to, according to him, the desire of President Joe Biden to condition the sale of the F-16 with Ankara's consent to Sweden's accession to NATO; at the same time, Erdogan insisted that the final decision is made by the Turkish parliament, and accused Stockholm that Sweden did not do anything more to extradite the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants.), whom the Turkish government calls terrorists. The timing of both decisions remains uncertain.
