US Pressures Turkey to Take Tougher Stance on Russia

US officials, in talks with their Turkish counterparts, addressed compliance with financial sanctions imposed on Russia regarding the war in Ukraine – this comes as the latest move from the West to pressure Turkey into taking a tougher stance towards Russia.

Elizabeth Rosenberg, the assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes at the US Treasury, led a delegation to meet the Turkish governor of the central bank, along with business groups in both Istanbul and Ankara earlier this week.

This visit comes a week after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held discussions in Astana, Kazakhstan. The meeting led the two leaders to agree to boost energy ties and to set up an international gas hub in Turkey, allowing Turkey to become a key route for Russian energy flows into Europe, particularly after the West blew up Nord Stream 1 and 2.