This is one of the main points of the commercial agreement signed on Sunday between the European Union and the United States. In addition to accepting customs duties of 15% in most exported products throughout the Atlantic, Brussels have committed Donald Trump to buy “significant” amounts of American energy products to replace their imports from Russia, said the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
“We will replace Russian gas and oil with significant purchases of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), American nuclear fuel and fuel,” up to $ 750 billion for three years, he told the press in Scotland, after a meeting with US president Donald Trump.
At the end of 2024, even before its inauguration, the White House tenant had already indicated that “he told the European Union that he had to compensate for his huge deficit with the United States buying our oil and our large -scale gas.”
A triple imports
Details about how 750 billion euros will be distributed have not been revealed, but the promise already seems difficult to maintain. If Ursula von der Leyan said that the amount of 750 billion was an estimate made on the basis of the European plan aimed at abandoning Russian gas supplies and buying natural gas “more affordable and better quality” to Americans, the sum seems considerable.
As a comparison, total European imports of the United States represented less than $ 80 billion in 2024, Bloomberg recalls. However, EU’s commitment would be respected, it would carry $ 250 billion in annual purchases. Therefore, it would be more than triple imports.
An even more difficult course to cross that the EU has already significantly increased its energy imports from the United States, and in particular LNG, of which they are the first producers. To end their dependence on Russian gas, the 27 agreed with Joe Biden of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to bring their LNG supplies to 15 billion cubic meters.
United States, second gas supplier
According to Brussels, the EU imported more than 100 billion cubic meters of LNG in 2024, 45% of the United States. Volumes of the entire end that have doubled in the three -year space. Enough to boost the United States to the range of the second EU gas supplier behind Norway.
To fulfill its commitment, the EU must also greatly increase its US oil taxes. UU. Which have represented $ 19 billion in the first half, or 14% of total consumption in the continent.
Source: BFM TV
