TURKEY RECEIVES US PERMISSION TO PAY FOR GAS THROUGH GAZPROMBANK

The US has allowed Turkey to pay for gas supplies from Russia through the sanctioned Gazprombank, Turkey’s Energy Minister said. A similar exception was made for Hungary

After a series of negotiations, Washington made an exception for Ankara from sanctions against Gazprombank so that it could pay for Russian gas supplies through it, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told Bloomberg.

Turkey’s Hürriyet newspaper previously reported on negotiations between the Turkish and US sides on this issue. Bayraktar stressed that sanctions against the pound will affect Turkey, as Russia is one of the country's main gas suppliers.

In November, the United States imposed sanctions against Gazprombank and other Russian lenders. The measures come into force on December 20. Gas supply deals with hostile countries are carried out through GPB. Hungary also asked for an exception to the sanctions and received it the day before, Hungarian Foreign Ministry chief Peter Szijjártó said.

Bloomberg wrote that the European Union also called for the easing of US sanctions.

On December 18, the US Treasury temporarily allowed transactions involving Gazprombank in the field of civil nuclear energy until June 30, 2025. The exception applies to projects that were launched before GPB was included in the sanctions list.

On December 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed foreign gas buyers to pay for supplies not only through Gazprombank, but also through other banks. The measure is valid until April 1, 2025.