The West is concerned about the sharp increase in exports of electronic components to Russia, which can be used in the military industry. In 2022, the volume of trade in these goods increased to $283 million.
US, EU and UK officials have called on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to stop exporting critical goods to Russia because they could be used in the military industry. It is reported by the Financial Times.
The publication writes that according to Russian customs data, the export of electronic components from the UAE last year increased by more than seven times and reached $ 283 million. In addition, the Emirates exported 15 times more chips to Russia than in 2022, and the volume of trade in them increased to $24.3 million compared to $1.6 million a year earlier.
In this regard, in February of this year, the head of the US sanctions coordination office, James O’Brien, the EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan and the director of the British sanctions office, David Reid, visited the UAE to clarify the range of trade restrictions, as well as to put pressure on Emirati officials to prevent possible sanctions violations.
The West is also concerned about re-export, which allows the supply of goods through the UAE, bypassing sanctions restrictions.
“Our main request is that they stop the re-export and acknowledge that it is problematic,” the Western official explained, adding that discussions with Emirates officials are ongoing.
According to Bloomberg, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson met with Turkish officials on March 1 to discuss U.S. concerns about rising exports of U.S. goods to Russia. He urged Ankara to limit the flow of goods that could be used by the Russian defense industry to prolong the war in Ukraine.
It was reported that between March and October 2022, dozens of Turkish exporters sent goods worth about $800 million to Russia, including electronics worth $80 million.
Earlier it was reported that the United States is notifying its allies of the possible imposition of new sanctions against China. As Reuters journalists reported, Washington will decide to take such a step if Beijing sends weapons to Moscow for the war against Ukraine.
