The European Union is preparing a new strategy to reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels by increasing imports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG). The plan, expected to be released on May 6, will encourage European energy companies to source more LNG from the United States, as part of a broader push to shift away from Russian energy supplies.
European Council President Antonio Costa confirmed the initiative to Bloomberg this week, emphasizing that the EU is looking to replace Russian gas pipelines with U.S. tankers—though only if the price is right.
This new strategy is part of the EU’s effort to address two challenges simultaneously. First, it must phase out long-term gas contracts with Russia, a process complicated by countries like Hungary that oppose outright sanctions. Second, U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that Europe buy more American energy to help reduce the trade deficit, with a proposal of $350 billion worth of LNG purchases.
For context, the EU imported around 75 million tons of LNG last year, but Trump is pushing for an additional 40 million tons from the U.S.
To make the plan viable, the EU is considering pooling the demand of its member states into a single bulk purchase in order to secure a better price. However, it remains uncertain whether U.S. producers can meet this demand or offer prices that are competitive in the European market. Some U.S. producers have expressed concerns that the pursuit of “energy dominance” has not yet yielded significant benefits.
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