Russia loses Europe to US in gas market – Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia no longer controls the European gas market. The United States is filling the niche Moscow has lost and plans to invest in Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists on October 19, according to an RBC-Ukraine correspondent.
The United States has replaced Russia in Europe
According to the president, Moscow has effectively lost its energy positions in Europe. "The Americans will completely push out Russian gas from Europe anyway. We must understand that, regardless of certain agreements, Russia has lost Europe to the Americans," Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that Ukraine also contributed to this process. "Of course, Ukraine helped," the head of state added.
The United States is interested in the Ukrainian market
Zelenskyy reported that American energy companies plan to enter the Ukrainian market.
"One example is a bilateral gas project with the Americans — an option to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in Odesa, but here we need to negotiate with Türkiye so that the Bosphorus can operate for this purpose," he explained.
The president noted that this project has already been presented at the White House and to American companies.
"This is a major gas project. We can talk about American gas. They see that we have the largest gas storage facilities and a network of pipelines. They are interested in this," Zelenskyy emphasized.
Context
Ukraine advocates for reducing Europe's energy dependence on Russia. After Russia's full-scale invasion began, EU countries sharply cut imports of Russian gas while increasing imports of liquefied natural gas from the United States.
The EU is preparing to adopt the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ban on Russian gas by the end of 2027.
The United States insists on accelerating Europe's energy decoupling from Moscow and boosting purchases of American liquefied natural gas. A joint EU-US statement outlines plans to sign energy agreements worth $750 billion over the next three years.
