The US State Department has urged Turkiye to stop purchasing energy resources from Russia. According to the statement, this issue was raised by US Vice President James DeVine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Axar.az reports, citing Bloomberg, that currently, Turkiye is Russia’s third-largest oil buyer after China and India. Although Turkish refineries have reduced purchases of Russian oil following US sanctions on two major Russian oil producers, the country does not plan to completely stop imports.

Russia is also Turkiye’s largest natural gas supplier. The two sides are currently negotiating long-term gas contracts against the backdrop of existing agreements expiring at the end of the year.

The agency notes that US pressure could pose potential challenges for Turkiye. However, thanks to diversification of energy sources, Ankara can mitigate the impact of this pressure and keep import cost increases at a manageable level.