Biden introduced the designation throughout a gathering with the ruling chief of Qatar on the White House. It comes as he seems for the gas-rich nation to step up once more to assist the West because it faces the prospect of a European power crunch if Russia invades Ukraine.
“Qatar is a good friend and a reliable partner,” Biden stated hours earlier than formally informing Congress of the designation. “It’s long overdue.”
The transfer could possibly be useful in Qatar’s bid to get US approval for a greater than $500 million sale of MQ-9 Reaper drones The request has been languishing since 2020, when Trump was nonetheless in workplace.
A senior administration official, who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate the choice, stated the non-NATO ally designation was not tied to Biden’s hopes for Qatar to assist European allies with an power contingency plan ought to Russia invade Ukraine. The official, who was not approved to remark publicly, stated the designation was for Qatar’s assist in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Qatar performed a central function in aiding final summer season’s US navy evacuations of Afghans who helped the US struggle effort together with American residents.
Qatar additionally hosts the largest US air base within the Middle East and served as a go-between with the Taliban for the final three administrations as they tried to wind down America’s longest struggle.
Qatar is the 18th nation to obtain this designation, the final being Brazil in 2019. The designation offers advantages in protection commerce and safety cooperation, together with eligibility for mortgage applications and precedence supply for sure navy gross sales.
“We’re very happy and proud of this great relationship,” stated Qatar’s ruling emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. “We will continue working together to find ways and means to bring peace in our region.”
The nation was an important go-between with Hamas throughout final 12 months’s 11-day battle that administration officers apprehensive might have was an extended and bloodier struggle.
Now, with some 100,000 Russian troops massed on the Ukraine border, specialists say Qatar — the world’s second-biggest exporter of liquefied pure gasoline, or LNG — is keen to assist once more however may solely be capable of provide restricted help if Russia additional disrupts the circulation of power provides to Europe.
“Qatar sees this as an opportunity to further improve its relationship with the US after Afghanistan,’” stated Yesar Al-Maleki, an power economist on the Middle East Institute in Washington. “But it is going to be very hard to do because there isn’t excess supply.”
Qatar is already producing at full capability with a lot of its provide below contract to Asia. Even if some Pacific allies of the US — together with India, Japan and South Korea — are persuaded to divert some LNG orders it has contracted to Europe, it would solely have a small influence in softening the blow, in response to power analysts.
White House officers have been in talks with Asian companions about contingency planning, in response to the senior administration official.
Biden and Tamim additionally used Monday’s assembly to debate Middle East safety and the state of affairs in Afghanistan, the place humanitarian circumstances have deteriorated within the aftermath of final 12 months’s US withdrawal and the Taliban takeover. The leaders additionally mentioned US efforts to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
But a doable contingency plan ought to Russia transfer to chop Europe from gasoline provides was maybe probably the most urgent matter on the agenda.
The Biden administration says the still-developing plan gained’t simply lean on “one or two” suppliers. Instead, the hassle would require “a multitude of sources” to make up for a Russian cutoff, in response to a senior Biden administration official who spoke on situation of anonymity.
Suppliers in Australia — the world’s largest LNG provider — in addition to Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States are amongst people who Biden administration officers have seemed to help if wanted.
Natural gasoline future costs surged final week amid rising market fears {that a} potential battle might disrupt Russian exports transiting by Ukraine to Europe. The crunch has been worsened by Russia, which usually provides about 40 per cent of Europe’s pure gasoline provide, decreasing its exports by about 25 per cent within the fourth quarter of 2021 in contrast with the identical interval in 2020 regardless of excessive worldwide costs.
Any Russian invasion into Ukraine would virtually absolutely set off financial sanctions from the US and its European allies. That might result in oil and gasoline shortages around the globe and, most probably, increased power costs that would ship tremors by the worldwide economic system.
Russia has repeatedly stated it has no intention of invading Ukraine even because the Biden administration has warned that navy motion could possibly be “imminent.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed issues that Russia might reduce off European gasoline provides as “fake hysteria.”
