The year-old war in Ukraine has shifted energy dynamics between Europe and the Middle East as Russia, the world’s largest natural gas and second-largest oil exporter, continues to face sanctions from the West.
Several European leaders have gone on a charm offensive with state visits to energy-rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa region in recent months. For example, when she visited Algeria in January, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni evoked the two countries’ shared history in an effort to forge a strategic partnership to help wean her country off Russian energy.
