Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday that Turkey was the most reliable route to deliver gas to the European Union and proposed to build what he called a supply hub there.
The proposal comes as Russia looks to maintain its energy leverage over Europe while redirecting supplies away from the Nord Stream Baltic gas pipelines, damaged in explosions last month that are still under investigation.
"In the course of the work of this hub, which we could create together, of course, it would also be a platform not only for supplies, but also for determining the price, because this is a very important issue - the issue of pricing," Putin told Erdogan at a meeting in Kazakhstan.
"Today, these prices are sky-high; we could easily regulate [them] at a normal market level, without any political overtones."
Putin first suggested on Wednesday that Russia could create a major gas hub in Turkey by redirecting supplies intended for the damaged Nord Stream undersea pipelines. Swedish and Danish authorities are investigating the blasts as acts of sabotage but have not yet said who they believe was responsible.
In the televised exchange between the two leaders, Erdogan did not comment on the gas hub idea, reports Reuters.
Erdogan has sought to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv since Putin invaded Ukraine on Feb 24. He achieved a rare diplomatic breakthrough when, together with the United Nations, he brokered an agreement in July allowing for the resumption of commercial Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports that Russia had blockaded.
Putin said at Thursday's meeting that not enough of the grain was going to the poorest countries. Russia also says its own grain and fertiliser exports, while not directly targeted by Western sanctions, are being hampered by problems with access to foreign ports and difficulties in obtaining insurance.
Erdogan told Putin: "We are determined to strengthen and continue the grain exports under the Istanbul agreement and the transfer of Russian grain and fertiliser to less developed countries via Turkey."
