US to Supply 2/3 of Europe's LNG Imports in 2026

Europe is projected to source nearly two-thirds of its liquefied natural gas imports from the United States in 2026, according to a report released Wednesday by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The forecast underscores the European Union's accelerating shift away from Russian supplies following Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, even as the bloc imported a record volume of Russian LNG in the first quarter of 2026.

The IEEFA analysis estimates the U.S. share of Europe's LNG imports at 57 percent in 2025, up sharply from prewar levels, with potential growth to 80 percent by 2028. U.S. LNG deliveries to the EU more than tripled between 2021 and 2025, driven by expanded import infrastructure in countries like Germany and the Netherlands. The United States is on track to become Europe's largest overall gas supplier this year, potentially surpassing Norway, amid disruptions from the war in the Middle East.

At the same time, EU imports of Russian LNG reached 6.9 billion cubic meters in the first quarter of 2026, a 16 percent increase from the same period in 2025 and the highest quarterly total since the Ukraine invasion. The trend continued into April, with...