The head of Qatar Energy expressed bewilderment at the EU's decision to abandon Russian gas

On December 6, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy and CEO of the national oil and gas company Qatar Energy, Saad bin Sharida al-Kaabi, expressed bewilderment at the European Union's decision to completely abandon Russian gas supplies by 2027.

"It's quite puzzling, I'm not sure. I mean, if you look at the numbers yourself. What will they do if Qatar reduces the supply of LNG (liquefied natural gas. — Ed.) and American companies [too]?" he was quoted as saying at a session of the Doha Forum by TASS.

He raised the question of their actions if Qatar and the United States reduce the volume of exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe. He stressed that a reduction in LNG supplies from both Qatar and the United States could damage Europe, which would affect not only oil and gas companies, but also other industries.

Al-Kaabi also noted that European countries themselves must decide from whom to buy gas. He stressed that Qatar is ready to support countries in meeting their energy needs if it is commercially feasible for both sides.

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On October 20, the Council of the European Union (EU) approved the proposal of the European Commission (EC) to ban gas purchases in Russia from January 1, 2028. In addition, the EU has also decided to impose a ban on the transit of Russian gas through the union to other countries. This measure will take effect on January 1, 2026.

On December 3, the EU countries adopted a preliminary agreement to ban the import of Russian LNG. In addition, the ban will affect pipeline gas from the Russian Federation. According to the press release, the total ban will come into force by the end of 2026. It was specified that the ban on the import of pipeline gas will take effect in the autumn of 2027.

On the same day, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that the state would not agree with the dictate of Brussels, which wants to ban oil and gas supplies from Russia. He called the EU's plan to ban oil and gas imports from Russia a dictate from Brussels and a fraud, since it is being adopted without a unanimous decision.

On December 3, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov drew attention to the fact that the EU could lose its leading potential in the economy due to the abandonment of Russian gas and would depend on energy sources that cost more. According to him, this initiative by European countries will inevitably lead to consequences for the EU economy.

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