Key Takeaways
- •New EU legislation mandates a complete phase-out of Russian gas imports by 2027, including barring spot LNG contracts within two months, marking a significant win for transatlantic energy diplomacy.
- •Geoffrey Pyatt and Dan Byers both highlighted American LNG as the most reliable and affordable solution for Europe's energy security, with the U.S. becoming the world's largest exporter.
- •Senator Daines (R-MT) pressed Dan Byers on the EU's CS3D, which Byers stated could make U.S. companies liable in EU courts for lawful U.S. conduct, hindering trade.
- •Senator Murphy (D-CT) criticized President Trump's policies for undermining European energy security by hindering renewable development and injecting instability into U.S.-Europe relations.
- •Europe needs further regulatory reforms and infrastructure investments for long-term energy contracts, while the U.S. must develop an industrial policy to compete with China in Europe's renewable sector.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
On February 4, 2026, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation held a hearing to examine the current state of European energy security and the ongoing efforts to decouple the continent from Russian energy supplies. Chaired by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the hearing focused on the strategic importance of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), the development of new infrastructure corridors, and the regulatory hurdles that could impact transatlantic energy trade.
Chairman Daines opened the hearing by displaying a live tracker showing that Europe has spent over 220 billion euros on Russian energy since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine—a figure nearly equal to the total aid provided to Ukraine by the EU. He emphasized that energy security is national security and praised the European Union’s recent regulatory reforms as a step toward pro-market policies. Ranking Member Christopher Murphy (D-CT) acknowledged the progress made, noting that Russian gas imports to Europe have dropped from nearly 50% to 20%, with a goal of zero by 2027. However, Sen. Murphy expressed concern that the Trump administration’s rhetoric and "war on non-fossil fuel energy" could undermine long-term security by ceding the renewable energy and battery markets to China.
Key Testimony
The witnesses provided a detailed look at the shifting energy landscape. Geoffrey Pyatt, Senior Managing Director at McLarty Associates and former Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, testified that the U.S. has become the world’s largest LNG exporter, providing a reliable alternative to Russian gas. He highlighted the "Vertical Corridor," a strategic project utilizing infrastructure in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova to move LNG into Ukraine and Central Europe. Pyatt noted that Ukraine’s DTEK recently received its first delivery of American LNG via Greece, demonstrating the corridor's viability. He also praised the committee for reporting out the Shadow Fleet Act, which targets Russian maritime sanctions evasion.
Overview
Dan Byers, Vice President of Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute, focused on the economic and regulatory aspects of the transition. He cited an S&P Global study finding that U.S. LNG exports could add $1.3 trillion to U.S. GDP through 2040. However, Byers warned of "regulatory extortion" from the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) and Methane Emissions Regulation. He argued these rules represent extraterritorial overreach, potentially making U.S. companies liable in European courts for conduct that is lawful in the United States. Byers noted that while some "net-zero" implementation requirements were removed from CS3D in late 2025, the remaining provisions still pose a significant non-tariff barrier to trade.
Industry Impact
The discussion also touched on nuclear energy and critical minerals. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) highlighted the bipartisan effort to ban Russian uranium imports, which takes full effect in two years. Pyatt emphasized that as the West moves toward Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), the demand for non-Russian uranium and enrichment capacity will spike, requiring deeper partnerships with Japan, Korea, and Canada. He noted that the global market for SMRs would likely be decided in Central and Eastern Europe as nations seek to replace "Russian electrons."
Partisan Dynamics
Partisan friction emerged regarding the Trump administration’s diplomatic approach. Sen. Murphy criticized the administration for allegedly pushing "political cronies" into Balkan energy projects, specifically mentioning Joseph Flynn and Jesse Binnall in relation to a pipeline project in Bosnia. He argued that such "grift" pushes allies toward China. Conversely, Chairman Daines and the witnesses highlighted the success of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) and the recent trade deal between President Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as evidence of a strengthening alliance.
Overview
The hearing also addressed the immediate humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Pyatt described the "dystopian" conditions in Kyiv, where Russia is systematically attacking civilian energy infrastructure during record-cold temperatures. He called these actions "unambiguously a war crime" and urged continued support through the G7+ task force to provide transformers and generators. Sen. Murphy and Pyatt both noted the historical importance of USAID and the Department of Energy in shoring up Ukraine’s grid.
Next Steps
Looking forward, the subcommittee discussed the potential for opening an "East-West" energy corridor from Central Asia. Chairman Daines mentioned working with Sen. Murphy to lift Jackson-Vanik restrictions for Central Asian partners like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to facilitate gas and uranium flows that bypass Russia. The witnesses concluded that while the "supercycle" of energy demand—driven by data centers and manufacturing—presents challenges, the continued expansion of U.S. export capacity and the de-risking of European infrastructure projects like the Vertical Corridor remain the primary pathways to permanent European energy independence.
Transcript
I was just sharing with Ranking Member Murphy a chart which I'm going to share with everybody here as we start this hearing that shows some alarming figures with you all. But before I get into that, I need to officially state this hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will now come to order. On this iPad here, I've got a live tracker of European purchases of Russian energy since the start of the invasion in Ukraine. Now, we're not allowed to have big PowerPoint presentations here, but bear with me. This thing's just clicking down, or clicking up I should say, euros. And right now it says 219 billion, 221 million, 431,104, now it just jumped to 581 euros that have now been invested in Russia in purchasing Russian oil and Russian gas. It's called russianfossiltracker.com if you want to see it yourself. And it goes back to the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. So the number right now, as I mentioned, is about 220 billion euros. As of December, the EU had provided around 200 billion euros of aid to Ukraine. European purchases of Russian energy are funding the largest land war in Europe since the Second World War. I just wanted to set the stage with that before we get started. I want to thank our two witnesses for being here today to discuss such an important topic. And a great deal of thanks to Ranking Member Murphy for his participation and help in organizing this hearing. Our bipartisan cooperation on these issues will shine a light on some of the good work Europe has done to shore up its security as well as the policy changes the EU can enact to ensure the continent's energy security. Now on to our witnesses. Jeffrey Pyatt is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center and a senior managing director at McLarty Associates. Prior to his current positions, he had a long and distinguished career at the U.S. Foreign Service, serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and Greece, and other senior postings both abroad and in Foggy Bottom. He has extensive experience working on European energy security issues. We are grateful he could be with us here today to share his expertise. Thank you. Dan Byers is Vice President of Policy at the Global Energy Institute at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he focuses on environmental and regulatory issues. He previously served as a staff director for the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee, as an official in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and on the White House Economic Council. Mr. Byers is deeply knowledgeable about energy regulation and energy markets, and we're grateful he could be here today to share some of his knowledge with us. So on to the matter at hand. Energy security is national security. Both the United States and Europe have become increasingly aware of that fact over the last four years, creating an opportunity for us to collectively build a resilient energy production and transport network that would form the bedrock of our economies. The European Commission's recent regulatory reform is a step in the right direction, aligning bloc-wide regulations with more pro-energy, pro-business, pro-market policies. Passing that reform took creativity and courage. I'd like to commend the European People's Party and their voting partners for the good work they've done on that package. But there's still a lot more to do, clearly. All of Europe must recognize that it cannot function or recognize its economic and security goals without baseload power, and it must enact further regulatory reform to modernize the European energy ecosystem. The continent has an opportunity to permanently end its resilience, its reliance on Russian energy, providing true independence and autonomy for America's partners on the other side of the Atlantic. Without enacting further regulatory reforms, Europe may find itself staring down the barrel of resuming Russian energy dominance or extortion, putting itself back into the vulnerable position it found itself in 2022. If Europe learns nothing else from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, let it be that energy security and supply chains are vital to national sovereignty. Compromises can't be made in those matters, and we must work together to ensure those networks' resilience and survivability. I remember a trip I took to the Baltics a few years ago. I remember hearing the story about once upon a time the nuclear reactor that existed there that was dismantled, taken out of production at the request of the EU to join the EU. And they took me up to the Baltic Sea where I could see a beautiful new LNG import terminal. But once upon a time, Lithuania used to be a net energy exporter. And after actions taken, short-sighted, to remove the baseload power of their nuclear power station, they became an energy importer. And then of course, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that problem clearly was further exacerbated. I encourage our European partners to take a realistic view on building reliable energy infrastructure. One need look no further than Spain and Portugal to see the dangers of over-reliance on intermittent sources. The entire Iberian Peninsula found itself without power last year, underscoring the vulnerability of countries that fail to maintain a diverse set of energy sources. And to be clear where I stand on here, I want to see a diverse energy portfolio. I just want to see more electrons and more baseload power and more diversity as it relates to energy. As the West builds the economy that will drive our countries forward, baseload power will become even more important. Whether it be for data centers, manufacturing, or defense production, reliable power is the backbone certainly of future prosperity. The United States and many of our partners and allies stand at the ready to work with Europe to increase energy supply, be it oil, gas, nuclear, hydro, or renewables. The reinvigoration of our economies will require a holistic, truly all-of-the-above energy approach. And I believe Europe must act now. Enacting the regulatory reforms and infrastructure investments necessary to sign long-term energy import and development contracts and ensure the continent's future. Prosperity and security are dependent on such changes, and I look forward to continuing to work with our European partners to build a more secure future for both Europe and the rest of the world. Now I'd like to recognize the very distinguished member and Ranking Member for his comments, Senator Murphy.
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