Former U.S. State Department Special Representative for Ukraine 2017-2019 Kurt Volcker explained whether the U.S. and its allies could replace Russia as a gas supplier to Europe with its liquefied natural gas, and in what time frame this could happen.

"I don't think it's possible in the short term. But in the longer term, it is possible to achieve so that diversification with energy sources would be ensured, so that there would not be a situation where Europe depends on only one energy supplier," Kurt Volker, who arrived in Kyiv on February 3 for the opening of the American University, said in a commentary to Delo.ua.

At the end of December 2021, American tankers with gas moving to Asia changed their direction to Europe. This is due to the fact that amid the gas crisis provoked by Russia, European prices for blue fuel have become higher than Asian prices.

But for Ukraine, Volker sees a different solution to the gas supply problem: "I think Ukraine is capable of producing more of its own gas. And, again, I would be glad to see more foreign investment and domestic Ukrainian investment in this direction of development of the Ukrainian economy."

Earlier, the Head of "Naftogaz of Ukraine" Yuriy Vitrenko also said that Ukraine can buy gas from American exporters, but it will not solve the issues of energy security of the country. He believes that in the long run Ukraine will be able to refuse from importing gas if the authorities "do everything correctly and intelligently.

Recall that after the arrival of tankers from the U.S. to Europe, gas prices fell to $ 836.3 per thousand cubic meters. This made it possible to compensate for low gas supplies from Russia via the Yamal-Europe pipeline. Before that, on December 21, 2021, the gas price on the ICE Futures exchange reached a new historical record - 187.47 euros per MWh, i.e. $2272 per thousand cubic meters.

Gas prices began to grow rapidly after the reversal of the Yamal-Europe pipeline.