“A radical change in the way Europe procures its energy”. Agreement negotiated in secret by Poland with the US

Poland is working on a deal to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. to supply Ukraine and Slovakia, a deal that would further strengthen the European Union's ties to the U.S. energy sector, two sources familiar with the negotiations said, according to Reuters news agency.

Officials are expected to announce a joint statement to boost imports after a meeting of the parties at a transatlantic energy conference in Athens later this week, one of the sources said.

“After that, there will be discussions on the terms of supplying Slovakia,” one of the sources told Reuters. Potential volumes to be transported south through Poland could reach 4-5 billion cubic meters of gas per year, roughly equivalent to Slovakia's annual gas consumption, the sources said.

It is expected to be the latest in a series of energy deals between government officials and companies in Europe and the US, amid Washington's efforts to boost exports of US gas and nuclear technology.

The US Department of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Poland's Energy Ministry declined to comment.

“Historic Opportunity”

“We didn't take full advantage of this historic opportunity to free Europe from dependence on Russian energy and shift it to American energy, but now this administration is moving full force and real change is happening,” said one US official. “This could seal the deal, we could see a radical change in the way Europe procures its energy,” he added.

The EU last month unveiled new plans to end purchases of Russian oil and gas, with a new package of sanctions banning Russian LNG imports until 2027.

Some EU member states continue to buy energy from Russia while supporting Ukraine in the war. Slovakia and Hungary are trying to strike a balance between being allies of Washington and importing energy from Russia, which has drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump.

In September, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright privately delivered to European ministers “a very strong message about confidence in the US as an energy partner and America's interest in doing more (together) with Europe”, a former diplomat said.

That same week, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum met with Italy's energy minister, promising to deepen relations by increasing US LNG sales. Two days later, the Italian utility company Edison signed a 15-year supply contract for the liquefied gas.

Wright met with Polish and Slovak officials in Vienna the following week. Slovakia signed an agreement with the US for a new nuclear power plant on October 7.

The EU's use of LNG reached historic levels this year, with the US currently providing about 55% of the supply, up from 27% in 2021. Fully replacing all Russian gas imports with US LNG would raise that to more than 80%, according to Reuters calculations.