BERLIN - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed a new deal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar on Tuesday as a “building block” towards his country’s energy security and a sign that Berlin had many different countries to tap for supplies.

QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips signed two sales and purchase agreements to export 2 million tonnes of LNG annually to Germany for at least 15 years from 2026, as Berlin pursues new energy partnerships after a plunge in gas from Russia.

“I am very confident that this is another important building block in a house that we have already built to a large extent,” Mr Scholz told a briefing, adding that global problems should not lead to countries raising trade barriers.

Speaking alongside the head of the International Monetary Fund and other organisations, Mr Scholz also said Germany had not taken off the table an offer to supply Patriot air defence units to Poland, which Warsaw may send to Ukraine instead.

Mr Scholz said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including about the prospect of sending Gepard tanks to Ukraine. REUTERS