Reuters: Türkiye reduces Russian crude, eyes Kazakhstan, Iraq for energy security

Türkiye sharply reduced its imports of Russia’s flagship Urals crude oil in November, according to shipping data from energy consultancy Kpler, as Western sanctions on Russian energy suppliers tightened and Türkiye’s refineries shifted to alternative grades.

Shipments of Urals to Türkiye fell by 100,000 barrels per day from October levels, with total imports dropping to around 200,000 bpd last month, Kpler and LSEG data showed, Reuters reports.

Since 2022, when European buyers stopped purchasing Russian crude, Türkiye has emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian oil, ranking as the second-largest seaborne importer of Urals after India, according to LSEG data.

The decline comes amid US sanctions on Russian energy majors Lukoil and Rosneft, which have narrowed the pool of suppliers available to Türkiye’s refiners. In addition, the European Union’s planned ban on fuel produced from Russian oil, set to take effect at the end of January 2026, is prompting TüRKIYE’s companies to diversify their feedstock.

As Urals shipments fell, Türkiye increased imports of alternative crude grades, including Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend and KEBCO, as well as Iraq’s Basrah, Kpler data showed. CPC Blend, though loaded from Russia’s port of Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, is predominantly produced by Kazakh companies and is exempt from Western energy sanctions.

In November, Türkiye imported 105,000 bpd of Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend, marking the highest level since February 2024, Kpler data indicated. Some volumes of Russian-origin CPC Blend were imported earlier in 2025, but these have ceased since September.

Earlier this year, in June, Türkiye’s Urals oil imports reached a multi-month high of nearly 400,000 bpd, according to Kpler. However, Türkiye’s refineries face limitations in sourcing alternative crude, as the availability of Urals-equivalent grades on the Mediterranean market remains low.

The situation could further be complicated by a recent attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, which may affect CPC Blend deliveries to Türkiye.

By Vafa Guliyeva