By the end of 2022, Turkey had cut the volume of Russian gas supplies across both pipelines and liquefied natural gas. Over the year, deliveries declined by 18 percent, settling at 21.6 billion cubic meters in December. This shift was reported by the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority through its energy market regulation division, reflecting a year of rebalancing in the country’s energy imports.
Most of the Russian natural gas that reached Turkey still traveled by pipeline. Under the established arrangements, Turkey imported about 15 billion cubic meters of gas from the Russian Federation through ongoing pipeline connections. The remainder of Russian gas signed for by Turkey was provided in liquefied form, a distribution pattern that mirrors the broader structure of Turkey’s gas supply mix as compiled by the Turkish energy statistics office.
To put these figures in perspective, Gazprom delivered 26.3 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey in 2021. The smaller LNG component in 2022 can be linked to several factors, including elevated global fuel prices driven by the intensifying energy crisis in the first half of the year. Market analysts point to the need for Turkey to adapt its energy sourcing strategy amid volatile prices and changing supply routes, a dynamic not uncommon for an economy balancing regional energy security with cost pressures for imports. The shift in 2022 highlights how price signals and foreign exchange considerations can influence supplier choices and contract structures in the Turkish gas market.
On February 20, 2022, Turkish Foreign Minister Mehmed Cavusoglu discussed the trajectory of bilateral trade with Russia, noting that energy products continued to form a significant share of transactions. He pointed out that the value of natural gas had risen markedly, contributing to a broader pattern where roughly three-fifths of Ankara’s trade with Moscow involved energy commodities. This emphasis on energy transactions underscores the strategic role of gas in the evolving economic relationship between Turkey and Russia, with implications for domestic energy policy and price dynamics for Turkish consumers.