How Biden will help Europe to get rid of Russian gas dependence

European countries have already expressed serious fears that tough sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis could cripple their economies and prompt Putin to halt or cut gas supplies in the middle of winter. As you know, Europe receives more than 40% of its natural gas from Russia, and about a third of the Russian gas entering the continent passes through Ukraine.

The threat of supply cuts is forcing Western countries to look for an alternative to Russian fuel, according to Bloomberg. U.S. officials want to help alleviate Europeans' fears of staying in cold homes this winter, sources said. Thus, representatives of the Biden administration are already in talks with Qatar about the possible supply of liquefied natural gas to Europe, in case the Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to its shortage.

To the same end, President Joe Biden plans to invite the Emir of the Gulf state, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to visit the White House, possibly as early as the end of this month.

Qatar is one of the world's largest LNG producers, with about three-quarters of the fuel sold to low-energy Asian countries such as Japan and Korea. Qatar also provides about 5% of Europe's natural gas.

In addition to Qatar, US diplomats have turned to Norway, the EU's second-biggest gas supplier, providing about a quarter of consumption, a source familiar with the talks told CNN.

According to him, the search for a possible replacement for Gazprom's gas is being conducted on a global scale and with the participation of US allies who are trying to determine how much the EU will need to survive the winter and spring.

The talks are at a "pretty advanced stage", - the source told CNN, adding that U.S. diplomats have assured the Europeans that sanctions against Russia won't hurt their economies.

In Europe, switching to LNG is critical for countries such as Lithuania and Poland, which seek to avoid dependence on Russian gas.

For its part, the US is stepping up pressure on the Europeans to agree on a package of sanctions, and is already showing signs of disappointment with the pace of negotiations with the EU.

At the same time, the publication emphasizes that Putin denies the possibility of invading Ukraine, but demands concessions and security guarantees from NATO, which, according to the military alliance, it cannot provide.

Currently, Gazprom supplies about 40% of the gas consumed in Europe. However, the dependence of Russia itself on the largest buyer is much greater: 72% of gas exports go to the EU, reports Finanz.ru.