US sanctions against Gazprombank have made it impossible for Turkish companies to pay for Russian gas. This was stated by the country’s Minister of Energy, Alparslan Bayraktar. According to him, the Turkish authorities are negotiating with Washington.
“We can’t pay money. If we can’t pay, we can’t buy gasoline. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues the negotiations.” – saying Alparslan BayraktarMilliyet reports.
The Turkish minister noted that Washington had made concessions before; Similar exceptions were made under sanctions against Iran.
Türkiye is the second largest consumer of Russian gas after China. This year the supply will amount to between 18 and 20 billion cubic meters. Gazprom’s share of the Turkish market exceeds 40%.
As reported EADaily US presidential administration joe biden The situation continues to worsen before his departure. The next step is sanctions against Gazprombank, which is a key link in foreign consumers’ deals with Gazprom for gas. As part of the presidential decree, the bank became the authorized body to convert the received currency into rubles.
“This plan involves Gazprombank accepting payment in foreign currency, changing the currency into rubles and transferring them to Gazprom. This plan is not offered through any other bank.” – saying EADaily leading analyst of FNEB and expert of the Russian Government Financial University Igor Yushkov. He noted that now all companies must complete their transactions with Gazprombank by December 20.
Analyst at Finam Financial Group Alexander Potavin It has been noted that foreign buyers of Russian gas and oil, after the introduction of new sanctions against Gazprombank, will be faced with the need to look for alternative payment methods.
“New routes to send money are likely to be found, for example through accounts at other banks or using other world currencies. But this complicates the process, increases the risks and makes the payment process more expensive.” – said Alexander Potavin.
He did not rule out that Hungary could provide its OTP bank, which operates in Russia, for settlements as an alternative to the blocked Gazprombank.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitri Peskov He stated that options will be found to pay for gas.
