ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Russia has complained to Turkey over its sale of Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine, a high level Turkish bureaucrat said on Friday, but added the sales were by a private Turkish company and not state-to-state deals.
“Russians are upset and from time to time they are complaining about the drone sales. They used to complain and they are complaining right now,” the bureaucrat said. “But we have already given the answer … that these are private companies and these drone purchases had been done before the war as well.”
(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler)