The President of Ukraine has called on Qatar to increase the production of natural gas to oppose Russian efforts to use energy as a weapon.
Russia’s “bragging” about its nuclear weapons is igniting a dangerous arms race, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Doha Forum on Saturday.
President Zelenskyy has also asked Qatar, which organises the annual meeting of international political and business leaders, to increase the production of natural gas to curb the Russian efforts to use energy as a weapon.
President Zelenskyy, in a live video message to the forum on the 31st day of the Russian military assault against his nation, “They are bragging that they can destroy with nuclear weapons not only a certain country but the entire planet.”
During the conference, he said, “When Ukraine dismantled its nuclear stockpile in the 1990s, it was given “security assurances from the most powerful countries in the world, including Russia.”
President Zelenskyy said, “But these assurances did not become guarantees. And in fact, one of the nations supposed to give one of the greatest security promises started to work against Ukraine, and this is the ultimate manifestation of injustice.”
He further asked Qatar, which is one of the world’s top three producers of natural gas, to increase production due to the conflict.
“The future of Europe rests with your efforts,” he said to the audience, including the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
“It depends on your output. I ask you to increase energy output to ensure that everyone in Russia understands that no country can use energy as a weapon,” Zelenskyy said.