Reuters: Turkey changes gas policy, threatening Russia with loss of its last European market
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By the end of 2028, Turkey will be able to cover more than half of its gas needs by increasing its own production and imports from the United States, which threatens to reduce supplies from Russia and Iran to their last major European market. About writes Reuters.

Diversification of supplies will increase Turkey's energy security and contribute to its ambitions to become a regional gas hub.

Ankara plans to re-export imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) and its own production to Europe, while using Russian and Iranian gas domestically.

Today, Russia remains Turkey's largest gas supplier, but its share has fallen from over 60% two decades ago to 37% in the first half of 2025.

Most European countries stopped importing Russian gas after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia's long-term contracts with Turkey for the supply of 22 billion cubic meters of gas per year through the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines are nearing completion.

The Iranian contract for 10 billion cubic meters expires in the middle of next year, while Turkey's contracts with Azerbaijan for 9.5 billion cubic meters are valid until 2030 and 2033.

Turkey is likely to extend some of the contracts, but on more flexible terms and smaller volumes to increase supply diversification.

According to Reuters, by 2028, domestic production and imported LNG will cover more than 26 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which is more than half of Turkey's 53 billion cubic meters of gas needs.

To support this plan, Turkey has signed a number of contracts to import $43 billion worth of LNG from the United States, including a 20-year agreement with Mercuria.