Biden arrives in Poland as he announces new plan to wean Europe off Russian energy
Updated 11:03 AM EDT March 25, 2022
President Joe Biden on Friday announced a new initiative meant to deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of European energy profits that Biden says are used to fuel Russia's war in Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Biden said Russia was using its supply of oil and gas to "coerce and manipulate its neighbors." He said the United States would help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, and would ensure the continent had enough supplies for the next two winters. The announcement came just before Biden departed Brussels for Poland.
"It's going to take some time to adjust gas supply chains and infrastructure that (were) built for the last decade so we're going to have to make sure the families in Europe can get through this winter and the next while we're building an infrastructure for a diversified, resilient and clean energy future," Biden said.
Biden and von der Leyen announced a joint task force meant to help wean Europe from its dependence on Russian oil and gas. The panel, chaired by representatives from the White House and the European Commission, will be aimed toward finding alternative supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and reducing overall demand for natural gas moving forward.
Europe's dependence on Russian gas and oil has proved a major sticking point in western efforts to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. While the US banned Russian energy imports, Europe found it far more difficult to cut off its supplies.
"I know that eliminating Russian gas will have costs for Europe, but it's not only the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, it's going to put us on a much stronger strategic footing," he said.
The US will work toward supplying Europe with at least 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas in 2022, in partnership with other nations, the White House said. The group will also work toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions through reducing methane emissions and using clean energy to power operations.
Senior administration officials said the 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas come from multiple sources, including the United States and nations in Asia. But officials did not have an exact breakdown on where the gas was coming from. The announcement Friday was the culmination of a US effort over the past months to identify alternate sources of energy for Europe, particularly in Asia. Officials said those efforts would continue through this year to hit the target.
One official said weaning Europe from Russian energy amounted to "replacing an unreliable supplier of LNG with a much more reliable supplier in the US."
"This crisis also presents an opportunity. It's a catalyst," Biden said. "A catalyst that will drive the investments we need to double down on our clean energy goals and accelerate progress towards our net zeroes emissions future."