The U.S. administration is ready to reconsider the decision made by U.S. President Joe Biden to suspend the conclusion of new contracts for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to achieve the approval of a new aid package for Ukraine by the U.S. Congress. This was reported by Reuters, citing two sources in the White House, UNN reports.
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According to them, such a step may be acceptable to the US administration in order to move forward with the issue of assistance to Ukraine, as the suspension of licenses does not affect fuel exports in the short term. At the same time, the White House intends to wait for the final proposal of the congressmen to help Kyiv to make a final decision on LNG.
"I don't think it's difficult for the White House to give in on this issue because it can tell climate activists that nothing has essentially changed," said an energy industry source familiar with the situation.
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On January 26, Biden announced that the US government would suspend the approval of new contracts for the supply of LNG abroad. He explained that the pause was "due to the nature of the climate crisis," which, in his estimation, is one of the existential threats of our time. The decision of the American leader was repeatedly criticized by Republicans in Congress, in particular, by House Speaker Mike Johnson (from Louisiana), who stated that it strengthens Russia and makes Europe dependent on Russian exports.
On Sunday, Johnson suggested on Fox News that lifting the pause on issuing new LNG export licenses could encourage his fellow party members to approve a bill to provide additional funding to support Ukraine.