Amid years of geopolitical strain between Moscow and Western capitals, a Russian official will cross the Atlantic to join G20 energy ministers in Houston next week — a quiet but telling reminder that the language of energy, with its universal stakes in supply, price, and transition, has long outlasted the silences of diplomacy. The White House confirmed the attendance, suggesting that even fractured relationships preserve certain rooms where rivals must still speak to one another. How much can be said in such a room remains the open question.