Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed on October 2 that Turkey will maintain gas purchases from multiple suppliers, including Russia, emphasizing the necessity of securing energy resources without discrimination. “We cannot tell our citizens, ‘We have run out of gas.’ To ensure uninterrupted supply, we need to access these resources without bias. We have agreements with Russia. Winter is approaching, and we must secure as much gas as possible from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan,” he stated during an interview with CNN Turk.
Bayraktar also highlighted Turkey’s plans to boost domestic production, aiming to supply 16 million households with locally sourced gas by 2028. Meanwhile, Russian officials noted that Moscow remains open to bilateral negotiations with Ukraine but sees no clear interest from Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated on September 26 that Turkey’s cooperation with Russia, including oil purchases, is a sovereign decision. He added that the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream pipelines operate at full capacity.
U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly urged Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting to halt Russian oil purchases, suggesting Erdogan could exert influence but described his current stance as “very neutral.”
