To remove the Kremlin's control, Biden and the EU agree a historic gas accord.

Joe Biden has reached a historic agreement with the EU on energy supplies, in which the US will enhance transatlantic gas deliveries in the hopes of reducing the Kremlin's dominance based on its natural resources. 

The US president claimed Vladimir Putin used Russia's status as Europe's principal gas supplier to "coerce and manipulate his neighbors" and that the earnings ofgas and oil sales "fuel his war machine" during the invasion of Ukraine, speaking in Brussels after the agreement was reached on Friday.

He claimed that the EU-Russia alliance will deprive Putin of this weapon by terminating Europe's reliance on Russian energy by the end of the decade.

In order to meet climate goals, the ideas also aim to reduce Europe's overall gas usage by focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Last year, Russia supplied over 155 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Europe, accounting for roughly 40% of the continent's consumption.

The EU has previously stated that by the end of the year, it intends to reduce Russian imports by two-thirds by purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other nations and accelerating renewable energy projects and energy efficiency initiatives.

According to the agreement with Biden, the US will help in the near term by increasing LNG imports to Europe, with 15 billion cubic meters added this year.

That translates to 37 billion dollars in deliveries, while Europe has pledged to an extra 50 billion dollars in imports per year by the end of the decade as part of a plan to decouple itself from Russian gas supplies.

"This quantity is already replacing one-third of the Russian gas going to Europe today," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. So we're on pace to diversify away from Russian gas and toward our friends and partners, who are dependable and trustworthy."

Simultaneously, the EU will work to keep climate targets on track by using sustainable energy to power gas infrastructure and limiting methane leaks that could accelerate global warming.

A combination of household energy efficiency improvements and wind and solar projects could cut European gas demand by 20 billion cubic meters.

Such a move, according to Biden, would not only be "the right thing to do from a moral sense," but would also "place us on a stronger strategic footing."

When asked how the US would enhance its LNG supply, a senior White House official indicated the plan would involve "swaps" with international partners, mainly in Asia, to free up gas during Europe's winter.

The project will necessitate the construction of new LNG import facilities in Europe, since existing infrastructure will be unable to cope with a major increase in imports. Germany, Europe's largest economy, does not have any LNG terminals, but it announced on Friday that it plans to phase out Russian gas by 2024.

New pipes will also be required, which must be future-proofed so that they can be modified to transport hydrogen.

"We want to diminish and eliminate our reliance on Russian fossil fuels," Von Der Leyen stated.