Gas prices surged 10%, with ICE Brent futures rising to $1,359/1,000 cu m, up from $1,240/1,000 cu m following Putin's remarks

Speaking to the Bundestag parliament, Scholz said German will continue to look to reduce its dependency on Russian oil and gas but warned "hasty" action could trigger a recession.

By 2025, carbon-free energy sources should account for 20% of the energy mix and 39% of the power mix.

Russia accounts for about 40% of the European Union’s gas demand, and about a third of those shipments transit Ukraine.

Gazprom Marketing & Trading Retail, which trades as Gazprom Energy and supplies gas to about a fifth of UK companies, is coming under pressure as companies withdraw from contracts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Preliminary production figures for February 2022 show an average daily production of 1 980 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.

Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership council. Earlier, Johnson met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nayhan, in Abu Dhabi.

Compared to last year, the period from March 1 through March 15 saw increases in supplies to nine European countries, for instance, Italy (+51.7 per cent), Poland (+71.8 per cent), Croatia (+110.9 per cent), Greece (+34.6 per cent), Bulgaria (+24.4 per cent), as well as Turkey (+21.1 per cent).

Finance minister Shaukat Tarin told the Financial Times that a deal with Russia to build the multibillion-dollar Pakistan Stream pipeline “is almost done”.

In 2021, Russia was the largest natural gas-exporting country in the world, the second-largest crude oil and condensates-exporting country after Saudi Arabia, and the third-largest coal-exporting country behind Indonesia and Australia.

"Russia's oil and petroleum product exports to India have approached $1 billion, and there are clear opportunities to increase this figure," said Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, according to a statement shared by Russia's embassy in India late on Friday.

"We have good prospects and a common interest in continuing coordination on the global energy market, including within the framework of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow following talks with his Qatari counterpart.

Azerbaijan is willing to increase its gas supply to Europe via Turkey amid persisting concerns over natural gas supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine,

Japan also intends to work on renewables and nuclear power in a bid to further diversify its energy sources, as part of its response to the G7 joint statement, which calls for reducing Russian energy dependency in phases, Hagiuda said.

"Russia remains a reliable supplier, a world-class guarantor of energy security. We value this reputation, but are ready for a harsh confrontation in the energy sector, if the need arises,"