MOSCOW - The 8th Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) concluded in Moscow on Tuesday with the adoption of the Moscow Declaration, according to the Kremlin's published record of the plenary session, which President Vladimir Putin chaired. Putin told heads of state and government that the forum's participants together account for 70 percent of the world's natural gas reserves and around 40 percent of global exports, and that the forum was conceived 25 years ago as an expert platform for assessing and forecasting the gas market, the Kremlin record said.
Source: Kremlin, Oct 27, 2026 - Plenary Session of the 8th GECF Summit; Moscow Declaration adopted
Putin said Europe was hurting its own industry and social sphere by rejecting Russian energy, Anadolu reported. 'Above all rising, exorbitant costs for foreign end consumers of gas: companies, enterprises, households,' Putin warned, adding: 'This is exactly what we see now in Europe, which itself is striking a blow at its industry and social sphere by abandoning Russian energy resources and breaking long-term contracts.' He cited the Russian proverb, 'Don't dig a pit for another, or you will fall into it yourself.' Those are Putin's claims about European policy, presented here as his remarks at the summit.
Putin proposed that GECF members optimise transport routes through mutual swap operations, noting LNG does not depend on international pipelines, Anadolu reported. He said the global gas industry was in a state of 'uncertainty' due to escalation in the Middle East, which had disrupted logistics chains and supply routes, and pointed to explosions that damaged Russian gas pipelines to Europe.
AnewZ, reporting the same address independently, said Putin urged gas producers to boost global supplies and invest in new fields, processing facilities and transport infrastructure, predicted annual demand could climb to 5.5 trillion cubic metres by the middle of the century, and said Russia was 'exploring the possibility of joint work with American partners'. AnewZ also reported Putin said natural gas accounted for around a quarter of the global energy mix.
Source: AnewZ, Oct 27, 2026 - Putin outlines priorities for gas industry at GECF summit
Leaders and representatives attending included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed al-Menfi, according to summit reporting, with bilateral meetings on the sidelines. The summit was the first GECF summit held in Moscow since 2013 and marked 25 years of cooperation within the forum.
Source: AnewZ, Oct 27, 2026 - Putin outlines priorities for gas industry at GECF summit
The GECF is not OPEC - it does not set production quotas - but its members control most of the world's gas reserves, and a Moscow Declaration adopted while the Middle East war disrupts Hormuz shipping and LNG routes gives producers a shared public position on swaps, routes and investment. Putin's remarks are Russia's case, labelled as such; European governments argue cutting Russian gas was a security necessity after the invasion of Ukraine.