Turkey wants the United States to extend its exemption from sanctions imposed on Russia, allowing the country to continue making payments for Russian natural gas.
Bloomberg reported this, citing Turkish officials familiar with the matter.
Turkey has never publicly disclosed when its exemption regarding Gazprombank JSC, granted in December, is set to expire. However, officials stated that it will end on March 20, and Ankara is working to extend it.
According to sources, Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek is expected to hold a phone conversation this week with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to request an extension of the exemption.
In November, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, which served as a payment channel for Russian energy supplies. Later, the U.S. granted exemptions to key importers of Russian energy, including Turkey and Hungary.
