London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

‘We will never’ supply Russia with drones, says Turkish CEO

‘We will never’ supply Russia with drones, says Turkish CEO

Haluk Bayraktar tells CNN that he is proud the Bayraktar TB2 has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Russia.

The CEO of Turkey’s Baykar, which makes the drones being widely used by Ukraine against Russian forces, has ruled out supplying the Bayraktar TB2 to Moscow.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Haluk Bayraktar said Ukraine is “under very heavy aggression and disproportionate attacks”.

When pressed by CNN presenter Julia Chatterley, who repeatedly asked, “Would you supply Russia?”, Bayraktar responded: “We have not delivered or supplied them with anything, [and] we will as well never do such a thing because we support Ukraine, support its sovereignty, its resistance for its independence.”

Bayraktar said he is proud that Bayraktar TB2 has become one of the symbols of the Ukrainian resistance against Russia.

“It’s very touching,” he said, hailing “years of cooperation” and “strong bonds” with Ukraine.

Crowdfunding campaigns in Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland and Norway have been launched to buy the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the government in Kyiv.

“We have donated to this campaign and we have delivered our unmanned systems,” said Bayraktar.


Lithuanians raised nearly six million euros ($6m) for the drone in May, largely in small donations, after which its Turkish maker decided to donate it instead.

Baykar and Lithuania reportedly agreed that 1.5 million euros ($1.5m) would be spent to arm the drone and the rest of the crowdfunded money would go towards humanitarian assistance.

Ukraine has bought more than 20 Bayraktar TB2 armed drones from Baykar in recent years and ordered a further 16 on January 27. That batch was delivered in early March.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov revealed in late June that Ukraine has received 50 UAVs from Baykar since Russia’s February 24 invasion.

Reznikov also thanked Ukrainians and Baykar for the donation of three Bayraktar TB2s following the Ukrainian social media fundraising campaign, which had raised enough to acquire three drones.

Baykar said it refused to take the money and would instead donate the drones.

Haluk Bayraktar’s father established the Istanbul firm in 1980s. He runs it with his brother Selcuk Bayraktar, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law.

The Bayraktar drone has maximum airtime of 27 hours and can fly as high as 7,620 metres (25,000 feet). It has achieved celebrity status in Ukraine; there are even songs dedicated to the UAV in the war-stricken nation.

While initially lauded as a useful tool in the military’s arsenal, Russia, which has a significantly stronger and larger army, claims to have destroyed dozens of the drones.

A Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone is seen during a rehearsal of a military parade for Independence Day in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 20, 2021

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×