Zelensky urges countries to increase fuel production to avoid Putin’s ‘blackmail’

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on energy-producing countries to increase fuel production to prevent Russia from using its oil and gas to “blackmail” European countries.

His appeal came a day after European Union leaders vowed to jointly buy natural gas and Germany unveiled targets to quickly reduce its dependence on Russian energy. Berlin has promised to get rid of Russian gas by mid-2024 and has said it aims to become “virtually independent” of Russian oil by the end of this year.

At a conference attended by several Gulf officials in Doha, Qatar, speaking by video on Saturday (26), the Ukrainian president called “responsible states, in particular Qatar”, “reliable and reputable suppliers of energy resources”. , which can help to stabilize the situation in Europe”.

“They can do much more to restore justice. Europe’s future depends on their efforts,” Zelenski said. “I ask that you increase energy production so that Russia understands that no state can use energy as a weapon to blackmail the world.”

At the same conference, Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister, who is also the chief executive of QatarEnergy, said: “We were clear about trying to support the Europeans and the Americans. even if we get a higher price, they won’t be diverted”.

However, he previously said that no other country could replace the total volume produced by Russia. Qatar, the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), estimates it could only divert around 10% to 15% of its volumes to Europe. The Gulf nation sells most of its LNG to fixed Asian customers on long-term contracts.

This week, the United States laid out plans to redirect gas to Europe as Western allies step up efforts to reshape global energy markets and punish Moscow. Washington said on Friday that it intends to deliver at least 15 billion cubic meters of additional LNG to the EU this year, along with other producers.

Washington has been pushing Gulf countries, notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to increase oil production to help lower prices. But Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which coordinate oil production levels through OPEC+, which includes Russia, have so far resisted.

Saudi officials argue that the rise in oil prices is not caused by a lack of supply and that increasing production would have little impact on prices. They also warn of a risk of global production capacity shortages.

Zelensky said on Saturday that it was “a matter of time” before European countries refused to buy Russian oil and gas, adding that sanctions against Russia “are only aimed at one thing – to make Russia seek peace, so that it does not represent a common threat”.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves