Wed 26 January 2022:
Qatar’s emir will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on January 31 to discuss a range of subjects, including global energy security, according to the White House, amid concerns about Russian gas supply to Europe.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-visit, Thani’s which is the first since Biden took office last year, comes as the US talks with energy-producing countries and companies about a possible diversion of supplies to Europe if Russia invades Ukraine.
According to a source familiar with the subject who asked anonymity, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the issue with Qatar’s foreign minister on Monday. Qatar is a major producer of liquefied natural gas.
Tamim’s meeting with Biden at the White House will provide the leaders with an opportunity to discuss “ensuring the stability of global energy supplies,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Tuesday.
Washington is concerned that Russia, which has amassed over 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, could attack the country, sparking US and European sanctions that will force the Kremlin to cease gas supply to Europe.
The small Gulf emirate played a key role in evacuation efforts during the tumultuous final US withdrawal in August, and it now serves as the US diplomatic envoy in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Tamim and Biden are expected to discuss efforts by global powers to salvage the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran, with which Doha has ties, and efforts to end Yemen’s civil war, two knowledgeable sources said.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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