Russian mercenary army Wagner tried to buy weapons in NATO country Turkey, according to leaked documents | War Ukraine and Russia

The American newspaper ‘The New York Times’ wrote earlier this week about the ‘secret documents’ that leaked on social media. Journalists at The Washington Post discovered in the documents a report by the US intelligence services that allegedly showed that the Russian mercenary army was trying to buy weapons from Turkey before the war in Ukraine.

According to the report, members of the Wagner group had a number of meetings with Turkish representatives in early February. It discussed the possibility of buying Turkish weapons and other military equipment. It would be used in the war in Ukraine and in military actions in Mali, where Wagner is also active.

The US intelligence report says that Mali’s interim president, Assimi Goita, said his country could buy Turkish weapons for the Wagner Group. The documents do not state whether the Turkish government was aware of those talks. It is also not clear whether they were successful and led to a deal.

The report does note that “the revelation that a NATO ally may have assisted Russia in its war against Ukraine could be explosive.” The Washington Post requested a response from the Turkish government and Mali’s embassy in the United States, but received no response.

Turkey has played a dual role in Ukraine since the beginning of the war. On the one hand, the country is a NATO ally and maintains good relations with Ukraine. On the other hand, it also tries to have good relations with Russia and does not participate in Western economic sanctions against Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also made several attempts to mediate in the war between Russia and Ukraine. He also opposed the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland.

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