US is holding talks with Qatar and other large gas exporters to plan contingency measures in case Russian invades Ukraine
The United States (U.S.) is in talks with Qatar for supplying Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to European Union (E.U.) in case Russia invades Ukraine, leading to shortages on the continent.
The President of U.S. – Joe Biden is expected to meet the Emir of Qatar – Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at White House, this month. The discussions on the meeting of Biden and Sheikh Tami had been in planning for long.
As per Ukraine, Russia will invade it on January 31, 2022. Russia has already deployed more than 120,000 troops near Ukraine border. However, the President of Russia – Vladimir Putin has denied the charges.
The U.S. had already warned Russia of consequences, if it invades Ukraine. Meanwhile, it’s also worried that if U.S. imposes sanctions on Russia in return for invading Ukraine, Russia might disrupt the LPG supply to the E.U. As of now, 1/3rd of gas supplies of the E.U. come from Russia through Ukraine. Any interruptions to Russia’s gas supply to Europe may exacerbate an energy crisis caused by a shortage of the fuel. The U.S. has promised to have Europe’s back if there is an energy shortage due to conflict or sanctions.
The Senior Adviser for Energy Security, U.S. – Amos Hochstein has been holding talks with Qatar and other leading LPG companies. Qatar is one of the largest producers of LNG, with most of the fuel sold to East Asian countries.
Biden had previously told Putin that a new Russian move on Ukraine would draw sanctions and an increased U.S. presence in Europe. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State, U.S. – Antony Blinken and had met the Foreign Minister of Russia – Sergey Lavrov in Geneva where they discussed ways of resolving the rising tension. The top diplomats said they were open to further dialogue after the talks yielded no sign of breakthrough.
Besides, 90 tonnes of U.S. lethal aid have arrived in Ukraine, including ammunition for front-line defenders. The delivery followed Blinken’s visit to Ukraine this week. Biden has also approved U.S. $ 200 million (£ 147.5 million) security support package for Ukraine.
The U.S. will continue to provide such assistance to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces in their ongoing effort to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression. The Defence Minister of Ukraine – Oleksiy Reznikov has thanked the U.S. for the aid.
Earlier, the United Kingdom (U.K.) has sent short-range anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. These are lighter weapons which can knock out a tank by striking it from above. They are not as powerful as Javelin anti-tank missiles, which were supplied by the United States (U.S.) to Ukraine from 2018. The first batch of light anti-armour weapons was sent on Monday, January 17, 2022. A small team of British troop will also be going to Ukraine to train the Ukraine soldiers.
