Turkish authorities reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining energy ties with Russia, dismissing US appeals to cut off Moscow from the country’s gas supply network. The Turkish Energy Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, emphasised that existing contracts and technical dependencies render any abrupt withdrawal impractical.
Bayraktar told CNNTurk that “we cannot tell our citizens: We have run out of gas,” adding that Turkey must ensure continuous supply from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and other sources during the winter. He insisted Turkey would not abandon its Russian gas agreements despite Washington’s entreaties. The minister also linked the decision to established infrastructure: Turkey’s refineries have historically been configured to process regional inputs, making purchases from Russia both a commercial and engineering necessity.
The US demand emerged most pointedly during a meeting between President Trump and President Erdoğan. Trump pressed Erdoğan to halt energy purchases from Russia, citing the war in Ukraine and the need to isolate Moscow economically. Erdoğan declined to commit, invoking Turkey’s independent energy and foreign policy prerogatives.
Such divergence reflects broader tensions within NATO over member states’ energy alignments. The US has consistently urged allies to sever or reduce dependence on Russian hydrocarbons. Turkey, in contrast, remains heavily reliant on Russia for its gas requirements, with Russian supplies accounting for over 40 percent of its imports. Ankara has, however, pursued partial diversification via LNG agreements with the US, Algeria and Oman. Talks are also underway with ExxonMobil to develop a long-term LNG supply contract, which could supply up to 2.5 million tonnes annually—around 7 percent of Turkey’s gas demand. Still, that would not offset the weight of Russian volumes.
To address the sanctions regime targeting Russia’s Gazprombank, which facilitates gas trade payments, the US granted Turkey a waiver; the exemption was extended into May. That waiver allowed Turkey to continue making payments to Russia despite US financial constraints.
Analysts point to Turkey’s precarious balance: on one hand, political pressure from Washington and Western allies; on the other, domestic demand, fiscal constraints and infrastructural realities requiring steady gas flows. Turkey’s LNG imports on the spot market have already increased, but higher costs make them less viable for broad substitutive use.
For its part, Russia remains eager to maintain Ankara as a customer. Russia has leveraged gas exports as both economic lifeline and geopolitical leverage. Turkey’s refusal to sever ties may reaffirm Russia’s belief in the resilience of its energy relationships beyond European clients.
Still, Turkey is watching the evolving energy landscape in the Black Sea, where domestic gas production is projected to rise in coming years. The government has projected that increased domestic output might reduce reliance on imports to some extent, though that transition would be gradual rather than immediate.
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