HOUSTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Equinor ( EQNR ) CEO

Anders Opedal said on Tuesday it would be very difficult for the

European Union to increase Russian gas imports to mitigate the

energy supply crisis in the Middle East while Russia's war with

Ukraine continues.

Europe's energy market is different compared with 2022, when

Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted energy price spikes,

Opedal said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the

CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. He added Europe has the

ability to source gas from a more diverse range of sources.