The United States has warned Turkey of potential consequences if it does not stop exporting US military-linked hardware to Russia, according to an exclusive report by the Financial Times.
Matthew Axelrod, assistant commerce secretary, recently met with Turkish officials and executives in Ankara and İstanbul to address the issue, a senior commerce department official told the Financial Times. Axelrod had emphasized the urgency of curbing the trade of American-origin technology critical for Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine.
Turkey’s strong trade ties with Russia have strained its relationship with the US and other NATO allies. Despite sanctions imposed by the US, EU, UK and Japan, Turkey has continued to trade with Russia, becoming a significant hub for Western-made electronics reaching Russian missiles and drones. The US is particularly concerned about Turkey’s role in facilitating the flow of processors, memory cards, amplifiers and machine tools to Russia.
The US Treasury has expressed frustration over Turkey’s trade in military-linked goods. The US has already added 18 Turkish companies to its “entities list,” requiring that American companies obtain licenses to sell sensitive parts to these groups. Additionally, the Treasury Department has sanctioned numerous Turkish companies for allegedly supplying Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Despite some recent progress attributed to an executive order by President Joe Biden’s administration, which has increased costs for Russia to import US-origin goods from Turkey, the US insists that more needs to be done. Turkey’s trade ministry has declined to comment on the US allegations. The Financial Times reported that Turkey’s exports of high-priority military-linked goods to Russia or intermediaries have surged, although there has been a slight decrease from the peaks of 2023.