As well as transiting Azerbaijani gas and exporting its own domestic reserves, Turkey imports fuel from Russia via the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea. After the Kremlin's agreement with Ukraine ended on Jan. 1, the underwater link is the only remaining route for Moscow to ship supplies to Europe.

Turkey’s actions in Syria and Iraq also signal a deeper shift away from its Western alliances. Erdogan’s government has cultivated closer ties with Russia.

Gazprom is considering cutting about 40% of its headquarters staff - more than 1,500 job cuts - as the Russian gas giant grapples with the loss of most of its sales to Europe, state news agency TASS reported on Monday.

Russia accused Ukraine on Monday of launching a weekend drone attack on infrastructure of a major gas pipeline that carries Russian supplies to Europe via Turkey.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico discussed the potential for securing Russian gas through Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who pledged Ankara’s help in finding a solution with Moscow.

Ukraine is suspected for another attack on major Russian pipeline infrastructure. After mysterious explosions hit the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near Denmark in September 2022, the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) allegedly told Belgian secret services that Ukraine could be responsible.

Roman Abramovich former Chelsea owner now lives a life of exile in Turkey after sanctions from EU meant he had to flee. His superyacht was marooned.

The Middle East is undergoing a profound transformation as new rivalries reshape its geopolitical order. For decades, the defining conflict in the region was a “cold war” between Iran and the Gulf Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia. This struggle, steeped in sectarian and strategic divides, fueled proxy wars and power struggles across the region.

Turkey could restart trade with Israel "if peace is permanent", Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), said on Tuesday.

Russia's Rosatom energy company is building Turkey's first nuclear power plant. But construction has been delayed because of the nondelivery of German-made parts.

Flows of gas via the Turkstream pipeline unaffected after air defences downed the drones, defence ministry in Moscow says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it had downed nine Ukrainian drones that tried to attack part of the infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline, through which Russian gas flows to Turkey and Europe, and called the attack an "act of energy terrorism".