Washington has warned Ankara that it will face "consequences" if it does not restrict its exports of US military hardware to Russia. 

The US assistant commerce secretary, Matthew Axelrod, met recently with officials in Turkiye to discuss efforts to halt Ankara's "illicit trade" with Moscow, the Financial Times (FT) reported on 7 August. 

He warned Turkiye that it must work harder to prevent the flow of microchips and any parts to Russia that could be used in the war in Ukraine.

"We need Turkey to help us stop the illicit flow of US technology to Russia. 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," Axelrod told FT. 

He referred to the issue as an "urgent problem," urging the Turkish government to "adopt and enforce a ban on the transshipment of US-controlled items to Russia." He also accused Moscow of "trying to exploit Turkey's trade policy" to gain access to US-made hardware. 

According to the official, 18 Turkish companies have been added to the commerce department's entities list, meaning US companies will need to obtain difficult-to-acquire licenses to sell them such parts.

 "You can expect to see more of that going forward unless and until there is progress," Axelrod added.

The US is concerned that Turkiye has become a hub through which western-manufactured electronics end up being used to produce Russian missiles and drones in violation of sanctions enforcement efforts.

FT reported that "Turkish flows of sensitive war-related goods to countries around Russia remain high."

This is not the first time the US has warned Turkiye about its exports to Russia. The warning comes as Ankara and Moscow continue to enhance trade and security ties despite unrelenting western sanctions on Russia.