Russian President Putin proposes Türkiye become 'gas hub' to supply third parties

Turkish President and his Russian counterpart. Photo: Reuters

According to DW, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently proposed that Türkiye consider becoming a hub to bring Russian gas to third parties, including Europe.

Specifically, according to Interfax news agency, during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a security conference taking place in Kazakhstan, Mr. Putin also proposed establishing an additional natural gas exchange market in Türkiye to determine prices.

“We can consider building another gas pipeline and creating a gas hub in Türkiye to sell to third countries, especially in Europe,” Russian President Putin said.

What is the Turkish Stream pipeline?

According to Mr. Putin, it is possible to transfer more gas to Europe via Türkiye thanks to the Turkish Stream pipeline. The Russian leader affirmed that this is "the safest supply route at present".

The Turkish Stream pipeline, which runs through the Black Sea and Türkiye to southeastern Europe, is currently the only pipeline still delivering significant amounts of Russian gas to Europe.

However, Russian media reported on October 13 that the Kremlin affirmed that Turkish Stream cannot replace Nord Stream through the Baltic Sea.

For his part, Mr. Erdogan announced plans to develop an agreement on exporting grain and fertilizer from Russia through Türkiye to supply “developing countries.”

NATO partners react to Türkiye's relations with Russia

Thanks to the mediation of Türkiye and the United Nations, an agreement was reached in July, allowing the export of agricultural products from Russia and Ukraine.

Still, President Erdogan has stressed, most supplies since then have gone to more prosperous countries.

Amid criticism from Türkiye's NATO partners, Erdogan has defended his cooperation with Moscow since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February.

Regarding the dialogue with Mr. Putin, Mr. Erdogan said that cooperation between Russia and Türkiye “will certainly be opposed by some, but will also certainly make developing countries happier.”

The United States and the European Union have recently pressured NATO member Turkey to join sanctions against Russia over Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. However, Erdogan has argued that Turkey is a neutral actor capable of helping broker a viable ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow.