ISTANBUL, August 15. /TASS/. Turkey does not intend to supply domestically produced weaponry to Ukraine, Turkish international security expert Canan Tercan told TASS, adding that the weapons in question could be those previously supplied to the republic or those manufactured within its territory under an American license.
"Turkey does not plan to supply domestically produced weapons to Ukraine. The armaments in question were previously manufactured in Turkey using American technology but are not Turkish, meaning they are effectively American weapons, so their re-export requires approval from the US Congress," the expert said as she commented on remarks by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova regarding Moscow’s request for clarification from Washington and Ankara concerning reports of plans to supply weapons to Ukraine.
The issue of potential US arms supplies to Ukraine should be viewed as a continuation of NATO’s commitments to provide $70 bln in military aid to the country, said Canan who heads IAU Politics Academy at Istanbul’s Aydin University. "From Washington’s perspective, one way to support Ukraine without depleting its own ammunition stockpiles is to transfer weapons stocks held in Turkey," the expert said.
"We can hardly expect the publication of an official document regarding the issue of US weapons being supplied to Ukraine from Turkey. There is a high probability that behind this lies closed-door US diplomacy," she concluded.
Earlier in August the State Department notified Congress that Ankara could transfer obsolete US weaponry worth $255.9 mln to Kiev, including multiple launch rocket systems and munitions, adding that the US government was prepared to authorize the transfer.