US warns Turkey of possible consequences if it continues trading with Russia

The United States recently warned Turkey that “there will be consequences” if it does not reduce its exports of US military equipment to Russia. This was announced by Matthew Axelrod, US Undersecretary of Commerce, to Turkish officials and executives in face-to-face meetings in Ankara and Istanbul.

Axelrod called on Turkey to “work harder” to stop the trade in U.S.-made chips and other components that are critical to Russia’s offensive. His main goal, in a nutshell, is to stop the illicit trade.

Matthew Axelrod speaks at a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington. Source: AP

“We need Turkey to help us stop the illicit flow of US technology to Russia. We need to see progress, and fast progress, from Turkish authorities and industry or we will have no choice but to impose consequences on those who circumvent our export controls,” Axelrod told the Financial Times.

US concerns about Türkiye’s closeness to Russia

Clearly, the US sought to warn Turkey as a “final signal” that if it continues to maintain strong trade ties with Russia, its trade relations will gradually become tarnished. Moreover, recalling that the US and the European Union, along with other Western partners, have imposed extensive sanctions on Russia since the beginning of the conflict with Ukraine.

Turkey has, however, avoided the restrictions and increased trade with Moscow. This has cemented US fears that Turkey has become a key hub through which Western-made electronics (such as processors, memory cards and amplifiers) are reaching Russian missiles and drones.

Putin with Erdogan. Source: AP

US Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson also expressed frustration over Turkish trade in military-related goods last year, adding to long-standing tensions between the US and Turkey.

Turkey is, in fact, the world’s second-largest source, after China, of high-priority U.S. products shipped to Russia, according to the Commerce Department official. The U.S. believes Russia is “trying to exploit Turkey’s trade policy” to gain access to U.S. parts.

In this context, Axelrod told the Turkish government that this trade was an “urgent problem” and called on Ankara to “adopt and implement a ban on the transshipment of US-controlled items to Russia.”

It is worth noting that the US Treasury Department has sanctioned multiple Turkish companies for this reason, although the Turkish Ministry of Commerce chose not to comment on Washington’s accusations.

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