The Blue Stream Natural Gas Pipeline. Source: Wikipedia . As Russia’s Gazprom and Turkey’s BOTAŞ work to renew two major long-term pipeline gas supply contracts set to expire on December 31, the talks are unfolding against a backdrop of U.S. pressure on countries to reduce Russian energy imports as a means of limiting Moscow’s military funding. I addressed these negotiations in the Turkey Recap Economy Newsletter #74 , published on November 7. “This likely commitment [Turkey-