Türkiye warns it can't pay Russia for gas, seeks to lift US sanctions on Gazprombank
Photo: Türkiye seeks lifting of US sanctions against Gazprombank (Getty Images)
Türkiye is negotiating with the US to lift sanctions, allowing the country to continue using the Russian Gazprombank to pay for natural gas imports, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar states, according to Bloomberg.
Without an exemption, "we won't be able to pay Russia," Bayraktar said. "If we can't pay, we can't buy the goods," he added.
Bayraktar's comments escalate tensions between Washington and the remaining European buyers of Russian gas following the sanctions imposed last week on Gazprombank, which had previously avoided penalties related to the invasion of Ukraine due to its key role in energy payments.
If there is no exemption, it may amount to something very big for Türkiye," said the minister. He referred to previous exceptions from sanctions related to Iran as a precedent.
Russia is Türkiye's largest gas supplier: last year, it accounted for about 42% of Türkiye's imports.
Hungary, another major importer, criticized the US actions against Gazprombank, stating that they jeopardized energy security. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said last week that countries in the region would "find a way" to continue the flow after negotiations in Istanbul with regional energy ministers, including Bayraktar.
Although Türkiye supplies Ukrainian forces with combat drones and critically important artillery shells, Ankara has not imposed sanctions on Russia over the invasion. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, has tried to act as a mediator for peace between the warring parties and revive a deal, supported by the United Nations, that he helped develop in 2022, which allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea.
Ankara and Moscow want to create a gas hub in Türkiye, including the possibility of laying more underwater pipelines across the Black Sea. In addition to gas, Türkiye depends on Russia for about half of its crude oil imports, has one Rosatom nuclear power plant under construction, and is negotiating for a second one.
Earlier, on November 21, the US expanded its sanctions list against Russia. According to the Head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andriy Pyshnyy, almost all of Russia's top 100 largest banks are now deprived of access to the global financial system.
Read more about the sanctions against Russia in our material.
