Russia ready to increase gas supplies to Türkiye, says Russian foreign minister

Russia said on Thursday that it is ready to increase its gas supplies to Türkiye and implement agreements between the two countries on setting up a gas hub for sales to other countries.

"For our part, we reaffirmed Russia's commitment to all agreements on increasing natural gas exports, including through the implementation of the initiative of the heads of our states to create a single gas distribution hub in Türkiye," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Moscow.

Lavrov said that Türkiye and Russia are developing projects in the energy sector, which he described as the "locomotive" in bilateral relations between the two countries.

He also said that the construction of all four power units of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is proceeding "according to schedule."

Lavrov said that he and Fidan both noted the dynamic development of bilateral relations between Türkiye and Russia, which included "an intensive, trusting political dialogue" between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

"There have been several phone conversations and face-to-face meetings, and another informal summit is planned for the near future to discuss all aspects of our partnership," he said.

UN HEAD'S NEW GRAIN DEAL PROPOSALS DID NOT CONTAIN GUARANTEES

Lavrov said he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about new proposals for a grain deal on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa, but that these proposals did not include guarantees.

"We (Russia) honestly explained to both the secretary general and our Turkish friends what is still in this message there is no guarantee, there are only promises to try faster, try harder," he said.

Although the Russian side appreciated Guterres' efforts on this issue, he said that the West is impeding the resolution of problems that prevent a "more active export of Russian grain and Russian fertilizers."

"Therefore, I can only confirm that as soon as there are no promises, but guarantees with a concrete result, which can be implemented right tomorrow, the implementation of this package will resume in full measure right from tomorrow," he added.

Lavrov said Fidan and he also discussed a proposal by Moscow to deliver up to 1 million tons of Russian grain to Türkiye at a reduced price.

"This issue is also being discussed with the participation of our friends from Qatar, who are ready to participate in the financial aspects of this initiative," Lavrov said.

ZELENSKY'S PEACE FORMULA 'UNACCEPTABLE'

Lavrov also touched upon Ukraine, saying Fidan and he discussed the situation in Ukraine, during which he also reaffirmed Russia's position ruling out a peace formula by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he described as "unacceptable, an ultimatum and obviously failed."

"We have explained why it is impossible to rely on the efforts that are being made in this direction. These efforts are trying to replace any serious conversation about how to ensure equal and indivisible security, which will prevent conflicts in Europe," he added.

Lavrov also reiterated Putin's guarantee that Russia will fully compensate for part of the grain sent from Ukraine to the poorest countries under the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"President Putin's guaranteed that the part of Ukrainian grain that was sent to countries in need during the operation of the Black Sea initiative, which is less than 3% of the total volume of exported Ukrainian product, we will fully compensate this part," he added.

Zelensky's formula, which consists of 10 conditions, was laid out at the latest G-20 summit in Indonesia, with its final step being signing a peace accord. It also focuses on issues such as nuclear safety and food and energy security.