The European Union will not allow Russian natural gas to be included in any future energy supply agreements to the bloc via Turkey.
This was stated by German Minister of Economics and Energy Katharina Reiche after a series of official meetings with her Turkish counterpart Alparslan Bayraktar in the Turkish capital.
The diplomatic offensive comes at a critical moment, as Ankara is currently negotiating with Russian giant “Gazprom“ to renew large-scale supply contracts that are expiring. At the same time, Turkey is actively trying to establish itself as a leading regional gas hub, redirecting flows to the Old Continent.
"Brussels will be uncompromising on the requirement for non-Russian origin of supplies in all future energy agreements involving Turkey“, Reiche told a German business delegation in Ankara, quoted by Bloomberg.
According to her, the Turkish authorities fully “understand and accept“ the EU's strong determination to close the “back door“ to Russian energy resources. However, during the negotiations, Turkey has clearly emphasized that the complete replacement of Russian gas is a serious challenge that cannot happen “overnight“ – both from an economic point of view and due to the limitations in the free alternative resources on the market.
The European Union has already adopted a strict regulation (Regulation EU/261/2026), which obliges suppliers to provide “unequivocal evidence“ that the gas entering the EU via Turkey is not Russian.
The distribution point “Strandja 1“ on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, where the pipelines with Azerbaijani and Russian raw materials are intercepted, is under special supervision. The new requirements aim to stop any “repainting“ of Russian gas and its blending with alternative sources.
The EU has an official goal of completely ceasing imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of 2026 and of pipeline gas by the fall of 2027.
However, Germany also sent a signal of partnership, emphasizing that Turkey remains a key and reliable trading ally in the region, with whom economic relations will continue to expand.