Donald Trump has urged NATO members to abandon Russian energy purchases in exchange for new sanctions on Moscow, but Turkey has rejected the demand, with Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar emphasizing the country’s commitment to securing stable gas supplies.

The remarks followed Trump’s call for NATO states to halt Russian oil and gas imports as a condition for renewed sanctions against Moscow, framed as a strategy to accelerate the Ukraine peace process. After meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, Trump suggested Ankara would likely comply with his request.

Bayraktar dismissed the notion, stating that maintaining steady energy supplies was critical for Turkey’s security. “We cannot tell our citizens, ‘we have run out of gas,’” he said. “To ensure uninterrupted supply, we need to access these resources without discrimination. Türkiye will naturally continue to receive gas from Russia as agreements are already in place. Winter is coming. We need to get as much gas as possible from Russia.”

He added that Turkey would continue diversifying suppliers and expanding domestic production, noting the country’s significant natural gas consumption. “A diversification strategy is crucial… The more sources we buy from, the safer it is,” he stated.

While Western states have reduced Russian energy imports since 2022, the EU aims to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, though Hungary and Slovakia remain major importers. Turkey, a NATO member but not an EU state, has avoided joining Western sanctions on Russia, maintaining energy purchases and diplomatic ties with Moscow.

Russian officials have criticized restrictions on energy imports as “illegal and self-defeating,” warning of higher costs for European buyers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Trump of seeking to boost U.S. economic interests by forcing global reliance on American oil and liquefied natural gas.