British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after signing a deal worth up to '8 billion for 20 UK Typhoon fighter jets, the biggest fighter jet exports deal in a generation, at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Keir Starmer proudly touted his new lucrative deal with Turkey on Monday, promising it would bring thousands of jobs to the UK.

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to a new £8 billion deal to buy 20 Typhoon jets from Britain in what the UK prime minister described as a “win for British workers, a win for our defence industry and a win for Nato security”.

But there have been fears about Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian administration, especially as Erdoğan’s main political opposition – Ekrem İmamoğlu – has faced fresh criminal charges, including alleged links to British intelligence.

Turkey’s links to Russian oil have been a significant cause for concern, too. Here’s what you need to know.

What do we know about Turkey’s purchase of Russian fossil fuels?

Turkey still buys Russian oil and coal at a discounted rate – in fact, after China and India, it is the third largest buyer of Russian oil, oil products and coal in the world.

It is also the third largest buyer of liquefied natural gas, after the EU and China.

The volume of Russian gas that reached Europe through Turkey also rose by more than 26% earlier this year.

What does this have to do with Ukraine?

Considering fossil fuel exports are the Kremlin’s primary means of propping up its wartime economy, Turkey’s apparent enthusiasm for a range of Russian products has caused alarm over the years.

The West has been trying to wean itself off Russian exports since

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