Speaking in Brussels alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Biden said Russia is using its oil and gas reserves to “coerce and manipulate its neighbors.” He said the United States would help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas and ensure the continent had enough supplies for the next two winters. The announcement came just before Biden left Brussels for Poland.
“It will take time to adapt the gas supply chains and infrastructure that (have) been built over the last decade, so we need to make sure families in Europe get through this winter and next while we build infrastructure for a diversified , resilient and clean energy future,” Biden said.
Biden and von der Leyen announced a joint task force to wean Europe off its dependence on Russian oil and gas. The panel, chaired by representatives from the White House and the European Commission, will aim to find alternative sources of liquefied natural gas and reduce overall demand for natural gas in the future.
Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and oil has proved a major sticking point in Western efforts to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. While the US banned Russian energy imports, Europe found it far harder to cut off supplies.
“I know that eliminating Russian gas will have a cost for Europe, but not only is it morally right, it will put us on a much stronger footing strategically,” he said.
The United States will work towards providing Europe with at least 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas in partnership with other nations in 2022, the White House said. The group will also work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing methane emissions and using clean energy for operations.
Senior administration officials said the 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas came from multiple sources, including the United States and nations in Asia. But officials didn’t have an exact breakdown of where the gas came from. Friday’s announcement was the culmination of US efforts in recent months to identify alternative energy sources for Europe, particularly in Asia. Officials said those efforts would continue this year to reach the goal.
One official said weaning Europe off Russian energy would amount to “replacing an unreliable supplier of LNG with a much more reliable supplier in the US.”
“This crisis also offers an opportunity. She’s a catalyst,” Biden said. “A catalyst that will fuel the investments we need to double our clean energy goals and accelerate progress toward our net-zero emissions future.”
Biden wants to travel to Poland
The announcement came during the president’s last stop in Brussels before he travels to Poland on Friday, his second stop on a last-minute tour of Europe aimed at coordinating the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .
Upon arrival at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, Biden is greeted by Polish President Andrzej Duda and given a briefing on the humanitarian response to the war. He will meet with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division in Rzeszów before traveling to Warsaw in the evening.
On Saturday, the White House said Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Duda to discuss how the US and its allies are responding to the refugee crisis that has emerged as a result of the war. He will also make remarks before returning to Washington.
Biden’s trip to Poland comes after meetings on Thursday in Brussels, where he attended a series of emergency summits, announced new measures – such as sanctions on hundreds of members of Russia’s parliament and a commitment to take in 100,000 refugees from Ukraine – and consulted with him World leaders on how the world will react if Russia uses a chemical, biological or nuclear weapon.
The White House said the visit to Poland was intended to highlight the massive refugee crisis that has been unfolding since Russia’s war in Ukraine began a month ago.
The President confirmed on Thursday that he hopes to meet with Ukrainian refugees during his stay in Poland. However, it is not clear when or where these potential meetings would take place.
More than 3.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, released on Tuesday. A large majority of these refugees have fled to Ukraine’s western neighbors across Europe.
Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west, has registered more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees entering the country. However, the number of refugees staying in Poland is smaller, many continue their journey to other countries.
Earlier this month, during Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Poland, Duda personally asked the vice president to speed up and simplify procedures to allow Ukrainians with family members in the US to come to the country. He also warned Harris that his country’s resources were being stretched by the influx of refugees, although Poland is welcoming them with open arms.
The White House says the US has allocated more than $123 million since February 24 to help countries neighboring Ukraine and the European Union deal with the influx of refugees, including $48 million in Poland.
During a Thursday news conference, Biden told reporters he didn’t think a first-hand look at Poland’s refugee crisis would necessarily change his response.
“What it will do (is) will reaffirm my commitment to the United States to ensure that we are an important part of managing the relocation of all these people, as well as the humanitarian assistance that is needed both inside and outside of Ukraine.” ‘ President said.
Biden mentioned that he has visited war zones and said he understands the plight of the refugees.
“I was in refugee camps. I’ve been in war zones for the last 15 years. And it’s — it’s devastating,” he said.
Biden also said the refugee influx was “not something that Poland or Romania or Germany should be able to bear alone.”
“This is an international responsibility. And the United States, as… one of the leaders of the international community, has an obligation to engage — to engage and do everything possible to alleviate the suffering and pain of innocent women and children and men, for that matter, everywhere — across Ukraine and those who made it across the border,” Biden continued.
The Poland trip also comes two weeks after the US rejected Poland’s proposals to facilitate the transfer of its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The US rejected Poland’s proposals, fearing that the US and NATO could be perceived as an escalating move, further fueling the conflict between the alliance and Russia – which strongly contradicts Ukraine’s ambitions to join the NATO alliance .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly requested more planes for the invasion, addressing NATO leaders again on Thursday.
During a virtual address on Thursday, Zelensky asked NATO members for “1% of all your planes,” later adding, “You have thousands of fighter planes, but we haven’t gotten any yet.”
Despite Zelenskyy’s request, a senior US official told CNN later Thursday that the US position on the fighter jet issue has not changed.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.