EU's Von der Leyen Proposes Buying U.S. LNG to Replace Russian Gas after Trump's Election Win

Nov 8, 2024, 05:54 PM

Following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed replacing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports with LNG from the United States. In an "excellent" phone call with Trump, von der Leyen discussed defense, Ukraine, trade, and energy issues. She suggested that importing American LNG, as the U.S. is the world's top LNG exporter with production expected to double by 2030, could strengthen EU-US ties, reduce Europe's reliance on Russian energy—still significant despite nearly three years into the Ukraine invasion—and potentially deter Trump from imposing new tariffs on European goods. This move could also lower energy costs within the EU.