The Emir of Qatar on Wednesday made an urgent appeal to Russia and the West, saying his nation will not be able to re-supply Europe with enough liquefied natural gas to stave off an energy crisis this winter, and urged both parties to bring a speedy end to the war.
In an exclusive interview with French news outlet Le Point, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani emphasized that although gas and oil supply chains struggled before the Kremlin's invasion in February, the war has taken a severe toll on the industry.
"We want to help Europe, and we will supply gas to Europe in the coming years. But it is not true that we can replace Russian gas," Sheikh Tamim said. "Russian gas is essential to the global market."
While Qatar has one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas, Tamim said China and Asian markets account for most of his nation’s contracted supply of LNG (liquified natural gas).
