Increased natural gas exports considered after US and UK raise concerns over Europe’s reliance on Russian LNG

Australia is considering supplying extra liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe after the US and the UK raised fears the continent’s reliance on Russia makes it vulnerable in a growing standoff with Vladimir Putin.

With more than 100,000 Russian troops massing near the border with Ukraine, the US said it was working with allies and partners to prepare financial sanctions “with massive consequence” if the Russian president decided to invade the eastern European country.

A senior Biden administration official revealed the US was also “looking at the global flow of LNG – whether it’s from the United States or from Australia or from other places”. Qatar is also part of the energy supply talks.

“The conversation is really broad with a lot of companies and countries around the world,” the administration official said at a background press briefing.

The official said Russia had already restricted the flow of gas through the pipeline running through Ukraine from about 100m cubic metres a day to 50m.

(Source: The Guardian)