Türkiye has received an exemption for gas payments to Russia after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed in response to a question from Reuters.
The US imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank in November, creating an obstacle for buyers of Russian gas, which had been using the bank to make payments. They have since been seeking clarification and exploring other ways to pay.
Türkiye imports almost all its gas requirement and Russia is the top supplier, providing more than 50% of the country's pipeline imports.
Ankara's pipeline gas imports from Russia stood at 21.1 bcm last year.
Türkiye had requested an exemption in discussions with US officials so that it can continue paying for Russian natural gas imports via Gazprombank.
The US on Thursday also granted a waiver to Hungary, which mainly relies on Russian oil and gas.
