Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register ISTANBUL, April 8 (Reuters) – Russia has complained to Turkey about the sale of armed Bayraktar TB2 drones to Ukraine, a senior Turkish bureaucrat said on Friday, but added that the sales were not made by a private Turkish state company. . agreements. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops to Ukraine on February 24 in a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “de-privatize” Ukraine. Kyiv and the West say Putin has launched an unprovoked offensive war. “The Russians are upset and from time to time they are protesting against the drone sales. They were once complaining and protesting right now,” the bureaucrat told foreign media. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “But we have already given the answer … that these are private companies and these drone purchases were made even before the war.” Turkey has forged close ties with Russia in energy, defense and trade and relies heavily on Russian tourists. The Turkish defense company Baykar had sold the drones to Kyiv despite Russian objections and signed an agreement to co-produce more before the invasion, angering Moscow. NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, has good ties with both and has taken on a mediating role in the conflict. It has hosted peace talks and is working to bring Ukrainian and Russian presidents closer together. While supporting Ukraine and criticizing the Russian invasion, Turkey has also opposed the extensive Western sanctions on Moscow, saying the channels of communication must remain open and questioning the effectiveness of the measures. Ankara also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Following peace talks between negotiators in Istanbul last week, Ukraine listed several nations, including Turkey and members of the UN Security Council, as potential guarantors of Kiev’s security. The bureaucrat said some countries on the list would treat “legal issues” as security guarantors, without giving further details. Turkey has stated that it is ready, in principle, to be the guarantor of Ukraine, but the details of the form must be finalized. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Jonathan Spicer. Writes Tuvan Gumrukcu. Editing: Daren Butler and Nick Macfie Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
