The plan to create a "gas hub" in Türkiye that was proposed last year is still on the agenda, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said late Saturday.
The Kremlin last October floated the idea of creating a major gas-trading hub in Türkiye as Moscow worked to reroute its energy exports after European countries sharply cut their imports from Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.
The plan followed unexplained explosions that damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia with Germany under the Baltic Sea.
Putin had mentioned the potential building of additional links through the Black Sea toward Türkiye, which would make the route Moscow's main westbound gas-export facility.
Yet, the Russian leader on Saturday said Moscow wants to set up an electronic platform for gas sales in Türkiye, and they do not want to store gas there.
"It’s still on the agenda," Putin said, addressing a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit. "It’s about creating an electronic trading platform, we are not going to store massive volumes of gas there," he noted.
Türkiye already serves as a major transit country for Russian gas, which is being shipped through the Black Sea via two pipelines. The Blue Stream and the Turkstream boast a combined capacity of almost 48 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year.
The implementation of the gas hub project aiming at redirecting supplies and exporting them to the European market was delayed after devastating earthquakes jolted southeastern Türkiye in early February, causing widespread destruction across the region.
Türkiye, a NATO member state that has maintained relations with both Russia and Ukraine, currently imports almost all its gas needs and has extensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) import infrastructure. Ankara believes it can leverage its existing and new trade relations to become a gas hub.
According to Putin, he and President Tayyip Erdoğan have agreed to hold phone talks on Wednesday. Erdoğan has said the Russian leader may pay a visit to Türkiye in August.
Putin said there is no decision yet on the timing or location of their potential personal meeting.