Turkey received a three-month extension from the US for a sanctions waiver allowing payments to Russia’s Gazprombank for natural gas imports, a Turkish official familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Thursday.
Gazprombank, sanctioned by the US in late November, is the designated bank used by Turkey and other European countries still importing Russian natural gas. Turkey secured its initial waiver from US sanctions in December.
About half of Turkey’s natural gas supply comes from Russia. The country remains heavily reliant on imports for nearly all its gas consumption.
Earlier this week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek. Discussions included sanctions, economic ties and national security concerns, with emphasis on US efforts to increase pressure on Iran related to nuclear activities, missile development and support for terrorism.
Hungary, which also continues importing Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline, received a similar waiver from the US. Hungarian government leaders, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, maintain regular diplomatic engagements with Moscow despite broader EU efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy.