(MENAFN) According to a tweet from International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol on Thursday, the European Union has for the first time bought more liquified natural gas (LNG) from the United States than natural gas transported via pipeline from Russia. Birol mentioned that the proportion changed as a result of the most recent reduction in Russian deliveries.

According to Birol, “Russia’s recent steep cuts in natural gas flows to the EU mean this is the first month in history in which the EU has imported more gas via LNG from the US than via pipeline from Russia.”

He also mentioned that “the drop in Russian supply calls for efforts to reduce EU demand to prepare for a tough winter.”

The European Union is trying to reduce its dependency on Russian energy, which makes it harder for the group to ratchet up penalties connected to the Ukraine. As a result, American LNG imports are soaring.

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