Washington has warned Turkey that there will be “consequences” if the country does not curtail its exports to Russia of US military-linked hardware that is vital to Moscow’s war machine. 

Matthew Axelrod, assistant commerce secretary leading US efforts to keep sensitive technology out of the hands of America’s adversaries, recently met Turkish officials and executives in Ankara and Istanbul as part of efforts to halt the illicit trade. His message, according to a senior commerce department official, was that Turkey must work harder to curb trade in American-origin chips and other parts that are pivotal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. 

“We need Turkey to help us stop the illicit flow of US technology to Russia,” Axelrod said in a statement to the Financial Times. “We need to see progress, and quickly, by Turkish authorities and industry or we will have no choice but to impose consequences on those that evade our export controls,” he added.