Turkey Shifts Oil Imports to US Amid Ongoing Ukraine Conflict

Turkey has shifted its energy imports from Russia to the US amid ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, according to recent Turkish customs data.

The US overtook Russia as Turkey's main crude oil supplier in June, with around 570,000 tonnes arriving compared to 425,000 from Russia. The numbers reflect how Ankara is reducing its exposure to Russian crude after emerging as one of its top buyers following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkey has also increased diesel imports from the US and India, with over 120,000 barrels per day of Indian diesel and 90,000 bpd of diesel from the US imported since August. This marks the highest volumes on record according to energy analytics firm Kpler's data starting in 2017.

The change in Turkey's energy imports is attributed to three factors: pressure from the Trump administration for Ankara to increase purchases of US energy, disruptions to Russian energy supplies due to Ukrainian attacks, and the ban on diesel exports by Russia in July. The US-Israeli war on Iran has also affected supplies to Turkish refineries in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE.