Biden administration officials have been in talks with Qatar about the possibility of supplying Europe with liquefied natural gas (LNG) if escalation with Ukraine leads to shortages, according to informed sources.

US President Joe Biden plans to ask Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit the White House where the matter will be further discussed.

Some EU countries expressed concern about imposing sanctions on Russia, saying that this can prompt it to cut off gas supplies to Europe during the winter, sparking crises in the continent that get more than 40% of its gas supplies from Russia.

Roughly one-third of Europe’s share of Russian gas passes through Ukraine.

Related News

US can't build its own LNG carrier ships: Navy Secretary

Potential ban on Russian LNG can cost EU 19% of its imports: Report

Read more: FUELing Problems in Iran-Azerbaijan: Europe in the Losers' Circle

The US is hoping to replace a possible shortage of Russian gas in Europe with Qatari LNG gas supplies, thereby easing European concerns of sanctioning Russia. Qatar currently supplies almost 5% of Europe’s natural gas.

Russian gas supplies cannot be replaced amid conflict: Reports

During consultations, international energy companies informed the Biden administration that there are few alternative supplies of gas available to replace Russian volumes if they are disrupted due to Ukraine, according to Reuters, citing State Department and industry sources.

According to the report, State Department officials met with international energy companies on Friday to discuss contingency plans for European natural gas supply if the situation with Russia over Ukraine escalates.

The report also stated that several energy companies admitted at the meeting that there are no other alternative supplies of natural gas that can match the volumes Russia provides to Europe.

The United States has threatened to stop Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline if the situation over Ukraine escalates.