Turkey and Slovakia use European banks like Raiffeisen to pay for Russian gas, adapting to sanctions

European banks, including Raiffeisen, OTP Bank and UniCredit, continue to facilitate payments for Russian gas despite sanctions. After Gazprombank was banned by the US Treasury, buyers have turned to Western bank divisions or smaller Russian banks. This allows trade relations between Russia and the West to be maintained, giving Putin an advantage, although Western authorities can monitor financial flows.