Germany Tells Turkey: No Russian Gas in Future EU Energy Deals

The bottom line: German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche delivered a clear message to Ankara in June 2026: the EU will reject any Russian-sourced gas in future energy contracts. Turkey, which still relies on Russia for roughly 37% of its gas imports, now faces the challenge of balancing expiring pipeline deals with an accelerating EU ban — all while pursuing its goal of becoming a regional gas hub.

Reiche's Message in Ankara

During her two-day visit to Ankara on June 19–20, 2026, German Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche told Turkish officials that the EU will require any gas supplied through new contracts with the bloc to be non-Russian in origin. She stated that Turkey "understands" this EU stance — Brussels will not accept Russian-sourced gas in future energy deals .

Reiche also urged German buyers to diversify and secure long-term non-Russian contracts as the procurement picture for 2027 and beyond is reshaped . Her visit included meetings with Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, as well as the 7th Turkish-German Energy Forum .

Turkey's Gas Imports from Russia & Contract Status

• Import volume: Russia shipped approximately 21.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of pipeline gas to Turkey in 2025, making Russia Turkey's largest single supplier . Russia's share of Turkey's gas imports has fallen from over 60% decades ago to about 37% in 2025 .
• Contract status: Turkey's long-term contracts with Gazprom — covering up to 21.75 bcm/year via the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines — were approaching expiry . In December 2025, Turkey agreed to a one-year extension of these deals while pursuing US LNG investments . As of June 2026, BOTAŞ and Gazprom are in active negotiations to renew agreements beyond 2026, with potential volumes around 22 bcm/year .

EU Timeline for Phasing Out Russian Gas

The EU's REPowerEU framework, finalized in the December 2025 political agreement, sets a stepwise, legally binding phase-out:

• New gas contracts (both LNG and pipeline) signed or amended after June 17, 2025 are already banned .
• Existing LNG contracts must be terminated by January 1, 2027 .
• Existing pipeline gas imports under long-term contracts must end by September 30, 2027 (an accelerated timeline from the original January 1, 2028 proposal) .
• EU annual Russian gas imports have already fallen from 152 bcm (45% share) in 2021 to roughly 35 bcm (12% share) in 2025 .

Turkey's Gas Transit Hub Ambitions

Turkey's ambition to become a regional gas hub sits in tension with the EU's phase-out. Ankara has long sought to position itself as a key transit route for Russian gas into southeastern Europe, and President Erdoğan and Putin have discussed a formal gas hub in Turkey . However, the EU's ban on Russian gas imports by end-2027 means there will soon be no legal market in the EU for Russian gas — which directly undercuts the business case for a Turkey-based hub that would transit Russian gas to Europe.

Turkey is simultaneously pursuing a diversification strategy — investing in FSRU terminals, expanding Silivri storage, and signing US LNG deals — to reposition as a multi-source hub that could aggregate gas from Azerbaijan, LNG suppliers, and domestic production rather than relying on Russian volumes . Minister Reiche's message reinforced that any hub ambitions linked to EU markets would need to be Russia-proofed — a condition that pushes Turkey to accelerate non-Russian supply partnerships if it wants to serve European customers .