Dutch companies circumventing European sanctions against Russia

Dutch companies seem to be circumventing the European sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine by exporting products to Russia via Türkiye. 

The export of Dutch products to Russia has decreased since the sanctions were imposed. At the same time, exports of Dutch goods to Türkiye increased. Dutch-sanctioned goods worth 869 million euros ($934 million) were supplied to Türkiye in the second quarter of 2023, that is 91 per cent more than two years earlier, NL Times reports citing Statistics Netherlands.

The EU banned the export of goods like microchips, transport equipment, machines, and drones from EU countries to Russia due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Exports of Dutch goods to Russia amounted to 285 million euros ($306 million) in the second quarter of 2023, 63 per cent less than two years earlier, before the invasion. At the same time, exports of Dutch products to Türkiye and the Eurasian Economic Union member states - Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan grew by 42 and 75 per cent respectively.