The United States and the European Union are planning to increase pressure on Turkey over the implementation of sanctions against Russia, especially in the financial sector, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing two western officials familiar with the matter.
According to the unnamed officials, the western delegation is set to focus on Turkish banks that have adopted Mir, a Russian card payment system for electronic fund transfers, as this opens doors for possible illegitimate financing. "We need to close loopholes," one official highlighted.
"We’ll send a message very clearly that, for example, third-country financial institutions should not be interconnecting with the Mir payment network because that carries some sanctions- evasion risks," another official stressed.