US Overtakes Russia As Europe’s Biggest Gas Supplier |

The United States sent more liquefied natural gas to Europe than the region got from Russian pipelines for the first time in June, according to the International Energy Agency.

Russia sent roughly 150 billion cubic meters to Europe in 2021, while the U.S. only sent 22 billion cubic meters, according to Power Magazine. But in June, the U.S. and Russia both exported about 5 billion cubic meters on the month, with final figures suggesting the U.S. sent marginally more than Russia, the IEA reported,

Russia has historically been the largest source of oil and gas imports for Europe, providing more than a third of the EU’s gas demand in 2021, Bloomberg reported. But the war in Ukraine has stressed the relationship.

Russia cut gas flows through the key Nord Stream 1 pipeline to just 40% of its capacity in mid-June, a move that German Vice Chancellor and Green Party leader Robert Habeck said was part of “Putin’s strategy to rattle us, drive up prices and divide us.”

To help fill the deficit, the United States and European Union agreed to a deal on March 16th in which the U.S. would send an additional 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to the EU in 2022.

“The United States and the European Commission are committed to reducing Europe’s dependency on Russian energy,” the U.S. and European Commission said in a joint statement at the time of signing.

This deal itself and the current milestone represent movement towards the EU’s goal of replacing Russian gas with imports from various other sources.

The International Energy Agency did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.