VIDEO | Andonovic: US plans to seize Kremlin's strongest tool for blackmailing Europe

Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden / Collage: Free Press. - Ivan Samardziev

The United States is trying to seize Putin's most powerful weapon - gas supplies by diverting natural gas supplies from around the world to Europe.

US officials have threatened to suspend the Nord Stream 2 project if Russia invades Ukraine.

As fears of an invasion of Ukraine grow, US officials have begun negotiations with world suppliers to avoid Russian conditionality and Europe to avoid a sudden loss of heat in the middle of winter.

"To ensure that Europe can survive the winter and spring, we are preparing to provide alternative supplies that cover the vast majority of potential shortages," a senior official told the Guardian.

Preparations for large gas deliveries are part of a campaign by the United States and its European allies to show Putin a united and coherent front in the hope of deterring him from a planned invasion of Ukraine.

One of the main alternative gas suppliers is Qatar, whose emir, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is due to visit the White House to establish what has been announced as "the stability of global energy supplies".

- We talk to many companies and countries around the world. We are not focused on one or two suppliers. At the same time, you do not have to ask any individual company or country to increase exports by significant quantities, but smaller quantities from many sources, say from Washington.

If the gas is diverted to Europe, it should mostly be in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG), but at the moment the entire global LNG market will not be enough to make up for the shortfall if Russia cuts off gas supplies through Ukraine to Europe. .

The United States has been the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas since December, surpassing Qatar. According to the Bloomberg agency, more than a thousand cargo ships sailed from the United States last year, carrying liquefied natural gas. Half went to Asia, a third to Europe. However, there is skepticism whether the United States can fully compensate for the loss of gas coming from Russia.

Australia is one of the world's leading producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and is ready to increase its exports to European countries.

Commerce Minister Dan Tehan said in a statement today that Australia was "ready to support its friends and allies in the current challenging and complex geostrategic environment".

Australia, the United States and Qatar together supply about 50 percent of the world's natural gas supplied by ship, while what Russia supplies is via pipelines.

The United States has also said it is preparing restrictions on exports to Russia of high-tech software and hardware made by the United States and its allies. Officials said the measures would affect Russia's ambitions in the fields of aviation, defense, lasers and sensitivity, marine technology, artificial intelligence and quantum computers.

US President Joe Biden has also said he will consider imposing personal sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dear reader,

Our access to web content is free, because we believe in equality in information, regardless of whether someone can pay or not. Therefore, in order to continue our work, we ask for the support of our community of readers by financially supporting the Free Press. Become a member of Sloboden Pechat to help the facilities that will enable us to deliver long-term and quality information and TOGETHER let's ensure a free and independent voice that will ALWAYS BE ON THE PEOPLE'S SIDE.

SUPPORT A FREE PRESS.
WITH AN INITIAL AMOUNT OF 60 DENARS

Video of the day