Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that his
country will continue purchasing natural gas from Russia, defying insistent US
demands that Ankara reduce its energy dependence on the Kremlin.
During a press conference in Ankara, Erdoğan emphasized that
Turkey will act according to its own national interests, stressing that “no
country has the right to dictate with whom we should trade or how to ensure our
energy security.”
The decision strengthens the close energy cooperation
between Turkey and Russia, which includes key projects such as the TurkStream
pipeline, through which Moscow supplies gas to the European market.
Diplomatic sources report that Washington has expressed
concern about Turkey's economic ties with Russia amid the sanctions imposed by
the West following the war in Ukraine. However, Ankara maintains that its
foreign policy is based on balance and independence, and that its role as
mediator between Moscow and Kyiv requires maintaining open channels with both
sides.
With this stance, Erdoğan is once again placing Turkey in a
position of strategic autonomy vis-à-vis its Western allies, prioritizing
internal energy stability over international geopolitical pressures.