Türkiye shifts oil imports to US amid Russian supply disruptions

According to current customs data reported by the Middle East Eye (MEE) portal, Türkiye is turning to the US for crude oil and refined product supplies following disruptions to Russian shipments caused by escalating Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

The US surpassed Russia in June to become Türkiye’s primary crude oil supplier, delivering approximately 570,000 tonnes against 425,000 tonnes from Russia. These data indicate that Ankara, which emerged as one of Moscow’s largest buyers following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is reducing its reliance on Russian crude.

The decline in Türkiye’s imports of Russian crude coincides with increased purchases of diesel from the US and India.

Data from energy analytics firm Kpler show that since August, Türkiye has imported more than 120,000 barrels of diesel per day from India and over 90,000 barrels per day from the US.

According to company records dating back to 2017, these volumes represent the highest levels of imports recorded from both countries.

Reasons behind the shift in import routes

The shift in Türkiye’s energy imports stems from three primary factors.

As the administration of US President Donald Trump pressed Ankara to increase purchases of American energy, Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on energy infrastructure disrupted the Russian energy sector. These strikes led to queues forming inside Russia for petrol and other refined petroleum products.

Russia banned diesel exports in July as a result of the Ukrainian air strikes. Kyiv struck Russia’s largest oil refinery in Siberia, as well as refineries in Novgorod and Tatarstan, dealing heavy blows to the country’s energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the war waged by the US and Israel against Iran has also disrupted the supply processes through which Turkish refineries source crude from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

Washington’s pressure on Ankara

The Trump administration lobbied for Türkiye to reduce energy purchases from Russia during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the White House in September 2025.

A former US official told Middle East Eye during the visit that Türkiye was more likely to pivot away from Russian oil than from natural gas, most of which is supplied through pipelines under long-term contracts.

In 2024, Türkiye sourced 41% of its natural gas imports from Russia.

Ankara secures Russian natural gas under favourable payment terms to power its manufacturing sector and counter double-digit inflation.

Türkiye has also positioned the TurkStream pipeline as a back door to European markets for sanctions-hit Russia.

In December of last year, Ankara extended its Russian natural gas import contract, which had expired, for an additional year.