Putin, Erdogan and other leaders at the inauguration of TurkStream in 2020
Turkey’s grand gas hub plan, part 2: The Russia question
The EU may be officially phasing out Russian gas, but in reality there remains potential for Turkey to help Moscow repackage its molecules for westward transit
Turkey is aiming to position itself as a gas hub for transiting volumes from east to west, and along with Azerbaijani and Turkmen gas, there is the prospect of re-exporting Russian gas to any European markets still willing to take it. Russia is anxious to keep as much gas flowing westwards as possible after the collapse in its exports to Europe in 2022 and amid the risk of disruption to the remaining flows transiting Ukraine. The EU’s stated aim is to eliminate Russian gas imports almost completely by 2027. This goal may be postponed, but unless there is a radical improvement in Russia–EU relations, Brussels will continue to pursue the target. Non-EU countries could buy more gas from Rus
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