Russia turned to Turkey for help in circumventing sanctions/Collage of Channel 24
Sanctions that were imposed against Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine hit the aggressor country hard, which is why Moscow is looking for ways to get around them. The Kremlin decided to turn to Turkey.
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It is not yet known whether Turkey agreed to the Kremlin's proposals. However, according to media reports, Ankara understands that such assistance to the Kremlin may entail the imposition of secondary sanctions against them.
What Russia offered Turkey
< p>According to media reports, Russia is asking Turkey to establish channels that will help avoid restrictions in the banking, energy and military sectors. Moscow is asking the Turkish government to allow Russia to buy stakes in Turkish refineries, oil terminals and reservoirs. According to economists, the implementation of such a plan would help to hide the origin of oil after the entry into force of the embargo.
In addition, Russia wants Turkish banks to allow correspondent accounts for the largest Russian banks, which is a flagrant violation of sanctions. However, it should be noted here that Turkey has not joined the anti-Russian sanctions and is positioning itself as an intermediary between Ukraine and Russia.
A Turkish official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, explained that Ankara only supports the sanctions that have been introduced UN, but commenting on the Kremlin's proposals, he stressed that Turkey supports the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine.
Turkey may already be helping Russia
The Kremlin is trying to demonstrate as much as possible that the sanctions allegedly do not affect Russia in any way, but the figures say otherwise – the production of cars has decreased by 89%, the production of computers and semiconductors has fallen by 40%, and washing machines – by 59%.
Against this background, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, exports from Turkey to Russia have increased significantly – by $ 400 million. However, these are mostly consumer goods. At the same time, if Ankara helps with the export of sanctioned goods to Russia, then secondary sanctions will await it.
Erdogan could agree to pay for gas in rubles
On August 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived to Russia in Sochi, where he met with dictator Vladimir Putin. This is the second meeting this month – the previous one took place on July 20 in Iran.
The talks lasted 4 hours. After them, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Erdogan agreed to a partial payment for Russian gas in rubles.
