The United States has exempted Turkey from sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank so that it can continue to pay for gas imports, the Turkish energy minister told Bloomberg. Washington sanctioned dozens of Russian banks in November,

Turkey has received an exemption for gas payments to Russia after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Friday in response to a question from Reuters.

Turkey is exploring several alternatives to process gas payments to Russia following Washington's sanctions on Gazprombank last month, including taking loans from Russian banks and settling payments through expenditures related to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.

After the US imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank in November, creating an obstacle for buyers of Russian gas, Turkey, Hungary and Slovakia asked for exemptions.

Turkey and Hungary said they have received exemptions for gas payments to Russia after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, removing a major hurdle to the gas trade with Moscow.

The US government has issued a waiver allowing Turkey to make gas payments to the Russian-owned Gazprombank, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told Middle East Eye on Friday. Last month, the US Treasury said Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were subject to sanctions due to their involvement in the Ukraine war.

The U.S. has granted Turkey an exemption from sanctions imposed on Gazprombank, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.