Russian Official to Join G20 Energy Meeting in Houston Next Week
A Russian representative will attend next week's G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston, a White House official confirmed, following last month's controversial appearance by Russia's finance minister at a G20 gathering in North Carolina.
A White House official said Friday that a Russian official will take part in next week's G20 energy meeting in Houston, though it remains unclear exactly who will represent Moscow.
The gathering, titled the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Abundance, runs from Monday through Wednesday. U.S. participants include Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and White House official Jarrod Agen. Energy officials from Europe and Asia are also expected to take part.
A repeat of last month's friction
Russia's presence is not unprecedented this year — last month the U.S. hosted Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at a G20 finance meeting in North Carolina, marking his first in-person appearance at the forum since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. That visit drew criticism from European officials.
Energy security concerns loom large
Despite the meeting's focus on "abundance," the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran have turned energy security into a pressing concern worldwide. U.S. diesel prices climbed to a record above $6 a gallon this week, Iran has largely shut the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas shipments, and the rapid buildout of U.S. data centers is putting pressure on electricity supplies. Meanwhile, auditors reported this month that the European Union's push to break free of Russian oil and gas is losing momentum just as the bloc enters winter with unusually low gas reserves.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had a "great" call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week, adding that Putin wants to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Still, intelligence officials across the U.S., Ukraine and Europe remain skeptical that Putin genuinely intends to end the fighting, despite recent envoy trips to Moscow and Kyiv. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on new Russia sanctions during the G20 meeting, though it's unclear whether the measure will pass after clearing the Senate. The Trump administration first sanctioned Russia over the war in October 2025, freezing assets and blocking transactions tied to oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.
