Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Russia is cutting natural gas supplies to Europe in response to sanctions, asserting that Europe "reaps what it has sown." Concerns in Europe are rising about a potentially harsh winter, especially after Russia announced it would keep the main gas pipeline supplying Germany indefinitely halted. Russia has suspended flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely and has reduced or halted supplies through three of its largest gas pipelines to the West since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Additionally, it is redirecting oil supplies eastward.
Erdogan told journalists in Ankara that "Europe is actually reaping what it has sown," adding that the sanctions have led Putin to respond by using energy supplies. He continued by stating that "Putin is exploiting all his means and weapons, the most important being natural gas. Unfortunately, we did not want this, but this is what is happening in Europe." He expressed his belief that "Europe will face serious problems this winter," adding, "We do not have such a problem."
Turkey, a NATO member, seeks to maintain a neutral stance toward both Moscow and Kyiv. It criticizes the Russian invasion, supplies arms to Ukraine, opposes Western sanctions, and continues trade, tourism, and investment with Russia. Moscow claims that the reason for halting gas flows through Nord Stream 1 is due to maintenance issues caused by Western sanctions, which European countries describe as nonsense, accusing Russia of using energy supplies as a weapon in response to sanctions imposed by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.
