Baltic States Stop Russian Gas Imports

View of the Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) receiving station, the Nord Stream 2 part of the landfall area in Lubmin on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, taken on September 21, 2021. John MacDougall, AFP
View of the Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) receiving station, the Nord Stream 2 part of the landfall area in Lubmin on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, taken on September 21, 2021. John MacDougall, AFP
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Baltic States Stop Russian Gas Imports

View of the Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) receiving station, the Nord Stream 2 part of the landfall area in Lubmin on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, taken on September 21, 2021. John MacDougall, AFP
View of the Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) receiving station, the Nord Stream 2 part of the landfall area in Lubmin on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, taken on September 21, 2021. John MacDougall, AFP

The head of Latvia's natural gas storage operator said Saturday the Baltic states were no longer importing Russian natural gas.

"If there were still any doubts about whether there may be any trust in deliveries from Russia, current events clearly show us that there is no more trust," said Uldis Bariss, CEO of Conexus Baltic Grid.

"Since April 1st Russian natural gas is no longer flowing to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania," he told Latvian radio.

He added that the Baltic market was currently being served by gas reserves stored underground in Latvia, AFP said.

The move comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to leverage Russia's status as an energy power.

With his economy crippled by unprecedented international sanctions, Putin warned EU members that they would need to set up ruble accounts to pay for Russian gas.

He said Thursday that existing contracts would be halted if the payments were not made.

While the United States banned the import of Russian oil and gas, the European Union -- which received around 40 percent of its gas supplies from Russia in 2021 -- has retained deliveries from Moscow.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called on the rest of the EU to follow the Baltic example.

"From this month on - no more Russian gas in Lithuania," he said on Twitter.

"Years ago my country made decisions that today allow us with no pain to break energy ties with the aggressor," he added.

"If we can do it, the rest of Europe can do it too!"



Saudi Energy Minister Emphasizes Importance of Balancing Growth, Energy Security

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Photo: Energy Ministry account on X
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Photo: Energy Ministry account on X
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Saudi Energy Minister Emphasizes Importance of Balancing Growth, Energy Security

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Photo: Energy Ministry account on X
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Photo: Energy Ministry account on X

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz participated in the Energy Transitions Working Group meetings, the 15th Clean Energy Ministerial and the 9th Mission Innovation Ministerial, held this week in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, where he emphasized the importance of balancing economic growth and energy security.
The meetings focused on sustainable energy policies and equitable energy transitions within G20 efforts to enhance international cooperation aimed at achieving environmental sustainability and supporting innovations in clean energy technologies.
Prince Abdulaziz emphasized the importance of balancing economic growth, energy security, and climate change mitigation. He highlighted the Kingdom's leadership in Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technologies, as well as its commitment to leading by example in leveraging circular carbon economy technologies, and affirmed the Kingdom's ambition to become a global leader in the production and export of clean energy.
Prince Abdulaziz also outlined Saudi Arabia's efforts to increase its renewable energy capacity, which is expected to reach approximately 44 gigawatts by the end of 2024, and touched upon the establishment of a hydrogen production hub in Ras Al Khair Industrial City, along with a major carbon capture and storage project, which will have a capacity of 9 million tons annually by 2027.