The brothers Haluk and Selcuk Bayraktar, makers of Bayraktar drones, said in an interview with the BBC that they would never sell them to Russia.
Haluk Bayraktar stressed that was “out of the question” because the company unconditionally supported Ukraine:
“Money is not a priority for us. Money and material resources have never been a goal in our business. Our friendship and cooperation with Ukraine goes back many years. <...> Nothing will overshadow our cooperation with Ukraine, no matter what amount is offered, our position on this issue is clear.”
According to him, the decision on the sale is made by Baykar itself, as well as by the Turkish government. However, according to BBC, the final vote is likely to be made by the authorities.
On July 26, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to cooperate with Baykar: “Putin told me that he wants to work with Baykar. He suggested creating a factory in Russia, just like they did in the United Arab Emirates.”