Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized Turkey's supply of military equipment to Ukraine to help it fight off Russia's full-scale invasion, the Turkish outlet Hurriyet reported on Nov. 1.
While Turkey is a NATO member, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has still aimed to maintain positive relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
Lavrov expressed his gratitude to the Turkish government "for facilitating the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," particularly mentioning the talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul in March 2022, which were eventually abandoned after Ukrainians retook the north of the country and mass war crimes were discovered in the liberated areas.
Yet the Russian foreign minister criticized Turkey for supporting Ukraine in the war by supplying military equipment.
Lavrov said this "cannot but cause surprise," given the Turkish leadership's statements about its readiness to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
Erdogan has publicly supported Ukrainian sovereignty, and his administration has given significant aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Ankara also has long been trying to take a leading role in peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.
Meanwhile, Turkey has also facilitated the flow of Russian oil to the European Union since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, enabling the Kremlin to circumvent the bloc's sanctions.
In 2023, Ankara became the world's biggest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, importing around 42.2 billion euros ($45.9 billion) in oil, natural gas, and coal from the country — a fivefold increase over the past decade.
The Financial Times (FT) on Oct. 22 reported that Turkey had quietly blocked the export of U.S.-origin military goods to Russia following a warning from Washington.
Chris York
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