US, EU step up pressure on Türkiye over Russia sanctions

Gulf Today Report

The United States and European Union are stepping up pressure on Türkiye to enforce Russian sanctions, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The United States is focusing on Turkish banks that have integrated into Russia's Mir payments system, the paper reported citing two Western officials involved in the plans, as Brussels prepares a delegation to express its concerns to Turkish officials directly.

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Meanwhile, China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin will be joined by the leaders of India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and several other countries for the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Uzbek city on Thursday and Friday.

The main summit day will be Friday, but it is a meeting of the Russian and Chinese leaders on Thursday that will be the most closely watched.

For Putin, the summit is a chance to show that Russia cannot be isolated internationally, at a time when Moscow's forces are facing major battlefield setbacks in Ukraine.