US calls on NATO allies to abandon Russian energy supplies — Bloomberg
Photo: The US has called on its NATO allies to abandon energy supplies from Russia (Getty Images)
The United States has called on NATO allies to stop buying Russian energy to help end the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
The announcement was made by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Türkiye is the third-largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India. Its oil refineries have recently begun to reduce purchases of Russian crude oil after the US imposed sanctions on Russia, but the country does not plan to completely stop purchases.
Russia is also Türkiye's largest supplier of natural gas, and the two sides are currently negotiating long-term contracts as existing agreements expire at the end of the year.
According to experts, US pressure could create a potential headache for Türkiye. But thanks to the diversification of its purchases, Ankara seems to have a good chance of keeping any increase in its import costs under control.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump called on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to also abandon Russian oil and gas.
Shortly after the talks, Orbán said he had managed to negotiate an exemption from the sanctions with Trump so that Hungary could continue to buy Russian oil.
Incidentally, during these talks, the US President noted that it was allegedly difficult for Hungary to find an alternative to supplies from Russia. He cited the country's lack of access to the sea as the reason for this.
