TL;DR: On September 25, 2025, the U.S. and Turkey signed a civil nuclear agreement focused on small modular reactors and energy security. The deal, signed during Erdoğan’s U.S. visit, includes a $43 billion LNG purchase and aims to reduce Turkey’s reliance on Russian energy.
🔹 What Happened
The Deal: On September 25, 2025, the U.S. and Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation at the White House.
- Signatories: Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the MoU, witnessed by President Donald Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
🔹 Key Details of the Agreement
- Focus: Civilian nuclear technology cooperation, including small modular reactors (SMRs).
- Goal: Support Turkey’s target of 20 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2050 and reduce dependence on foreign energy.
🔹 Economic and Energy Add-ons
- LNG Deal: Turkey’s state energy company BOTAS signed a $43 billion deal to import 4 bcm of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually for 20 years starting in 2026.
- Trade Goal: The energy deals support a broader U.S.-Turkey trade target of $100 billion.
🔹 Strategic and Political Context
- Energy Shift: The deal helps Turkey reduce reliance on Russian gas, which made up 40% of its imports in 2024.
- Improved Relations: Turkey lifted 2018 tariffs on U.S. goods ahead of the meeting, signaling better diplomatic ties.
🔹 Additional Notes
- The MoU builds on a 2008 U.S.-Turkey civil nuclear agreement.
- The agreement comes amid global focus on nuclear energy and follows recent U.S. efforts to counter Russian energy influence in Europe.