Turkey Says Russian Oil Purchases Up To Firms Amid Trump’s Call

Turkey’s energy minister has said buying Russian oil is a commercial decision made by refiners, signaling reluctance to abide by US President Donald Trump’s calls to cut energy ties with Moscow.

“This is essentially the decision of private companies, distributors and refiners,” Alparslan Bayraktar told Turkish broadcaster CNNTurk late Thursday. Turkish refineries were built to process crude from nearby sources, making imports from Russia a technical necessity as well as a commercial decision, he said.