Moscow has said American LNG would be much more expensive for European consumers

The US stands ready to substitute all Russian gas and oil going to the EU, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has claimed, arguing that market hegemony for America would help end the Ukraine conflict.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Wright praised the bloc for its efforts to phase out Russian energy but said it is "not as fast as we'd like."

"America stands ready today to displace all of the Russian gas that goes into Europe and all of the Russian refined products from oil as well," Wright said. He added that he had been holding extensive talks with EU leaders to reassure them that this is feasible.

"We're ready to serve their needs. And President [Donald] Trump's agenda is peace. And to get peace, we have to starve [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Wright claimed, referring to revenues from energy exports.

The EU has said it will seek to wean itself off Russian energy following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, and plans to end imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the end of 2027. Wright, however, said the US could act "much faster" to replace it.

Bloc members Hungary and Slovakia, however, have pushed back against plans to cut energy ties with Russia, citing their heavy reliance on supplies from the country and the fact that their infrastructure is built around receiving Russian energy.

Wright's push comes as Trump has pressured the EU, India, and China to stop procuring Russian oil, describing the move as an effort to advance a potential Ukraine peace settlement. Moscow has criticized the effort, saying that sovereign nations have the right to choose their trade partners.

Russia has also argued that the EU's tilt to pricier LNG is hitting consumers. "This has placed an additional burden on [European] budgets and, in turn, on the pockets of their taxpayers," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

(RT.com)