PARIS (Sputnik) – Western sanctions against Moscow prevent Iraq from purchasing Russian weapons, which in turn complicates the fight against the Islamic State, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said Tuesday.
“Due to the tax problems we cannot enter into new weapon supply contracts. The previous government signed contracts with Russia. Russia is now under US sanctions, and it is quite difficult for us to pay for weapons. The money is in the bank, but we cannot access it,” Abadi said.
The minister made his comments after an international conference in Paris on combating the Islamic State.