The US and EU have announced a task force aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on Russian fossil fuels in the face of Moscow's war on Ukraine.
The initiative announced by US President Joe Biden and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will see the US work with partners to strive to supply Europe with an extra 15 billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas this year, a statement said.
The push comes as EU member states wrangle over calls for the bloc to ban Russia's key energy exports to punish President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine.
The Baltics and Poland are urging counterparts to pull the trigger but others, including economic powerhouse Germany, remain reluctant to impose a sudden rupture given their reliance on Russian gas imports.
Germany said it was drastically slashing its energy purchases from Russia amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, with oil imports to be halved by June and coal deliveries to end by the autumn.
The EU has already announced plans to slash its imports of Russian gas by two-thirds this year and eliminate imports entirely before the end of the decade.
As part of the task force the EU's executive said it will work with member states "toward the goal of ensuring, until at least 2030, demand for approximately 50 bcm/year of additional US LNG".
"This Task Force for Energy Security will be chaired by a representative from the White House and a representative of the President of the European Commission," the statement said.
"It will work to ensure energy security for Ukraine and the EU in preparation for next winter and the following one while supporting the EU's goal to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels."
Europe faces a major task in substituting supplies of Russian gas, with Moscow supplying around 150 billion cubic metres of gas each year.
US gas supplies to the EU accounted for 6.3% in first half of 2021, the bloc's statistics agency said.
Our cooperation on the sanctions against Russia has been exceptional.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 25, 2022
It shows that when we act together, we are stronger and can make a difference.
We are now reinforcing our cooperation in:
Humanitarian aid to 🇺🇦
Energy
Protecting our democracies pic.twitter.com/mjrQcpb8wB
Ms von der Leyen said the move is a big step towards making Europe less dependent on Russian gas.
"We aim to reduce this dependency on Russian fossil fuels and get rid of it. This can only be achieved through ... additional gas supplies, including LNG deliveries", Ms von der Leyen said at a joint news conference with Mr Biden.
"We as Europeans want to diversify away from Russia towards suppliers that we trust, that are our friends, that are reliable," she said.
"Therefore, the US commitment to provide the European Union with additional at least 15 billion cubic metres of LNG this year is a big step in this direction because this will replace the LNG supply we currently receive from Russia."
Joe Biden will today visit a city in Poland that is near the border with Ukraine, as he seeks to show Western resolve against Russia's invasion.
Yesterday, Western leaders piled on military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine with Mr Biden calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin a "brute" and Britain denouncing Moscow's invasion of its neighbour as "barbarism".
The invasion unleashed on 24 February by Mr Putin has killed thousands of people, sent 3.6 million abroad, smashed cities, and driven more than half of Ukraine's children from their homes according to the United Nations.
NATO announced new battle groups for four nations in east Europe, while Washington and London increased aid and expanded sanctions to new targets, including a woman London said was the stepdaughter of Russia's foreign minister.
Meanwhile, Russian ex-president and deputy head of security council Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying that it was "foolish" to believe that Western sanctions against Russian businesses could have any effect on the Moscow government.
The sanctions will only consolidate the Russian society and not cause popular discontent with the authorities, Mr Medvedev told Russia's RIA news agency in an interview.
One month into the war, and following an array of sanctions by the West, the Kremlin has said that it will continue the assault until it accomplishes its goals of Ukraine's "demilitarisation and denazification".
Some of the sanctions have specifically targeted billionaire businessmen believed to be close to Mr Putin.
"Let us ask ourselves: can any of these major businessmen have even the tiniest quantum of influence of the position of the country's leadership?" Mr Medvedev said. "I openly tell you: no, no way."
He said opinion polls showed that three-fourths of Russians supported the Kremlin's decision to carry out a military operation in Ukraine and even more supported Putin.
He lashed out at those Russians who spoke against the invasion while staying outside Russia:
"You can be dissatisfied with some of the authorities' decisions, criticise the authorities - this is normal," he said.
"But you cannot take a stand against the state in such a difficult situation, because this is treason."
Thousands of people were earlier this month detained at Russia-wide protests against Mr Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to an independent protest monitoring group.
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