SOCHI, September 4. /TASS/. Russia is and will always be a reliable gas supplier and will continue providing Turkey with it, President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference after talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Russia has always been and will remain a reliable, responsible gas supplier. We are going to continue providing the Turkish economy with this cheap yet highly efficient and eco-friendly kind of fuel. Furthermore, we are to export by transit via Turkey to consumers in third countries," Putin said.

In October 2022, Putin put forward the idea of creating a gas hub in Turkey to redirect the lost volume of transit via the Nord Stream gas pipeline.