Turkey will maintain its natural gas imports from Russia without interruption, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed on Tuesday, dismissing potential impacts from proposed US sanctions.
"Russia has always been and remains a reliable natural gas supplier to Turkey. Gas deliveries from Russia to our country continue, and there is and will be no crisis or problems," Bayraktar stated during an interview with Lider TV, addressing US President Donald Trump's support for new sanctions targeting Russia and its partners.
The minister emphasized Turkey's long-standing energy relationship with Moscow, noting that "Turkey has been importing natural gas from Russia since the late 1980s. Russian gas represents a crucial import source for us, meeting approximately half of Turkey's natural gas needs. Our energy relations with Russia continue to develop positively."
The statement comes after Trump endorsed a congressional bill that would impose secondary sanctions on countries trading with Russia. The bipartisan legislation, introduced in early April by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), proposes 500% tariffs on US imports from nations purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium and other commodities.
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Based on materials from TASS