Turkey’s Minister of Energy, Alparslan Bayraktar, stated that the import of Russian oil is a “commercial decision” by refining companies, demonstrating Ankara’s reluctance to heed U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to sever energy ties with Moscow.
Source: Bukvy
“This is essentially a decision of private companies, distributors, and refineries. Turkish plants were built to process oil from nearby sources, so importing from Russia is a technical necessity as well as a commercial decision,” the minister said.
He also added that with winter approaching, Turkey must purchase natural gas “without discrimination” from various sources — Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and others.
His statement came amid increased pressure from Washington. During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week, Trump explicitly said: “I would like him to stop buying oil from Russia while Russia continues its aggressive actions against Ukraine.”
Turkey remains one of the largest consumers of Russian energy, although it is attempting to diversify supplies through new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import agreements with the U.S. The main buyers of Russian oil are Turkiye Petrol Rafineleri AS and Star Rafineri AS, which belongs to the Azerbaijani company Socar.
At the same time, Iraq has resumed oil shipments from the north of the country to Turkey after a two-year pause. The agreement, concluded with U.S. support, could provide Ankara with an alternative energy source.