US warns Turkey over sanctions on Russia

Ambassador James O'Brien said that the US expects Turkey to comply with decisions taken by the West to sanction Russia, and said Turkey could also be subject to sanctions if it breaches the decisions against Russia, Deutsche Welle Turkish reported.

During a press briefing with journalists from international press organizations, O'Brian explained the latest developments regarding the sanctions against Russia, and then answered questions.

O’Brian praised Turkey over armed drones that were provided to Ukraine for its defense but also warned the Turkish government not to breach the sanctions against Russia.

However, O'Brian said that the US has "very clearly conveyed" to both the Turkish government and the Turkish private companies the expectation to comply with the sanctions.

"We will continue to engage very closely with both the Turkish authorities and the private sector to see if the sanctions are complied with. We will take action if we find that the sanctions are not being complied” he said.

O'Brian also clarified what this action could be.

“Secondary sanctions can be if materials supplied to Russia breach the sanctions,” he said.

The US ambassador also talked about the G7's expectations from Turkey regarding the price cap for Russian oil.

"Our expectation is that China, India and Turkey, the biggest buyers of Russian oil, will make a very good price bargain for themselves, thus ensuring that prices are below the price cap. Thus, they will comply with the sanctions even though they are not officially in the price cap coalition," he said.