US deputy treasury secretary in Turkey to warn against evading Russian sanctions
In a visit to Ankara Wednesday, US Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo plans to remind Turkey that anyone evading US sanctions against Russia will be held accountable.
US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo was scheduled to arrive in Ankara today where he is to meet with Turkish Central Bank governor Sahab Kavcioglu and Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati. Adeyemo is expected to raise the Biden administration’s concerns over the flow of Russian funds and assets to Turkey, two officials familiar with Adeyemo’s agenda confirmed to Al-Monitor. They did not elaborate.
Adeyemo’s visit follows meetings with top officials in the United Arab Emirates, which has also become a big magnet for Russian oligarchs seeking to evade sanctions imposed in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Adeyemo, who led a departmental review of sanctions policy last year, previously warned Turkish and Emirati financial institutions of the potential consequences of helping Russia get around the restrictions, Bloomberg reported.
Turkey’s relations with Russia, notably its acquisition of Russian S-400 missiles, play a big role in its increasingly fraught relations with the United States. Turkey’s efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, while supplying armed drones to Ukraine and blocking the passage of Russian naval ships through the Bosporus, created hopes for a reset between Ankara and Washington in the early days of the conflict. But these proved premature as Turkey is now threatening to veto Sweden's and Finland’s accession to NATO, a strategic priority for the alliance and the Biden administration in particular, over their alleged support for Kurdish “terror” groups.
