Turkey is seeking to extend a US waiver from sanctions that would allow it to continue buying Russian natural gas, Turkish officials with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.
Turkey has never publicly said when its waiver from sanctions on Gazprombank JSC, granted in December, is to expire. However, the officials said the relief period is due to end March 20 — a week from now — and that Ankara is working to extend it. They asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.
More than 45 percent of Turkey’s gas imports came from Russia last year, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the national energy regulator. Those supplies have been crucial during a colder-than-usual winter and will remain important in the summer because hydropower generation is expected to decline.
Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek is scheduled to hold a call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week to request the extension, the officials said.
The US sanctioned Gazprombank, a vital conduit for energy payments, in November to squeeze Russia’s income from gas sales, but later granted exemptions to major importers Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey’s Treasury and Finance Ministry, as well as the Energy Ministry, declined to comment to Bloomberg. The US Treasury didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal working hours.