Exports of Turkey’s defense industry to Ukraine, whose president is supposed to be under US sanctions, rose 5.491% in the first two months of 2022 compared to last year, reaching nearly $ 59 million, according to data released by the Turkish Exporters Assembly this week.
Last year, in the same period, exports amounted to just $ 970,000.
Ankara and Kyiv have long-standing defense cooperation ties. Ukraine has bought more than 20 weapons Bayraktar TB2 drones in recent years, with more than 16 ordered before the Russian invasion.
An Al-Monitor report in January showed that Ukraine received a 30 percent discount on TB2 drones, paying about $ 7 million each.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced earlier this month that Kyiv had received more armed TB2 drones, without disclosing the exact number. Given the plans announced earlier, Ukraine could have received at least six more drones.
Since Reznikov’s announcement on March 2, more cargo planes have taken off from Redesto, home to Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar, owned by Selcuk Bayraktar, son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Baykar was building a factory in Ukraine before the war.
However, in addition to drone sales, Turkey is also believed to be selling smart ammunition to Ukraine for drone strikes.
Photographs also show that many pieces of military equipment produced by Turkish defense companies have been incorporated into Ukrainian armored vehicles and used by troops for communications.
#Russia #Ukraine 🇷🇺🇺🇦: Russian Forces have detained Ukrainian Combatants of “124th Territorial Defense Brigade” in #Kherson.
As a result two AKS-74 rifles, #Turkish Aselsan military radios, 400gr TNT (Trinitrotoluene) explosive blocks et … were seized by Russian Forces. pic.twitter.com/ez8YLIvsUN
– Ukraine Update 🇺🇦 (@Ukrain_War) March 8, 2022
Last month, the Ukrainian government also demanded that it buy more equipment from Turkey, including armor and helmets that were difficult to obtain from other NATO countries.
Ukrainian soldiers have been spotted several times wearing Turkish-made helmets in various parts of the country.
Turkish defense company Aselsan signed an agreement last year to modernize Ukraine’s defense systems.
Turkey has good ties with Russia and tries to balance on the diplomatic frontier in the battle between the West and Russia, faithful to the doctrine of skillful neutral. He has criticized the invasion as unacceptable, but has avoided the harsher rhetoric of other NATO members and opposes their use of sanctions.
Petros Kranias
Source: Capital
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