Trump to promote U.S. natgas exports in Russia's backyard

[Doug the Dem]

Source: Reuters

Mon Jul 3, 2017 | 3:23pm EDT

President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs.

In recent years, Moscow has cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes with neighboring countries in winter months. Exports from the United States would help reduce their dependence on Russia.

Trump will tell the group that Washington wants to help allies by making it as easy as possible for U.S. companies to ship more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to central and eastern Europe, the White House said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-lng-idUSKBN19O2AH

---

He didn't clear this with Putin? Ooooh, Vlad is gonna be SO mad!

[MedusaX]

1. *45 was also going to confirm support for Art.5 at NATO... but never did. So what is allegedly going

to happen
(AKA Faux Gnus soundbites for base)

And what actually happens are 2 different things.


Of course, as a future RF territory, Vlad will ultimately control our energy sales ...
Thus rendering any promise/offer made by *45 invalid.

[TomVilmer]

3. Trump kind of did that...

June 6: “I'm committing the United States to Article 5, and certainly, we are there to protect and certainly that's one of the reasons that I want people to make sure we have a very, very strong force by paying the kind of money necessary to have that force,” Trump said in response to a question. “Absolutely, I'd be committed to Article 5.”
http://thehill.com/policy/international/337168-trump-offers-commitment-to-defending-nato-allies

But actually Article 5 is just demanding that all NATO members shall "assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary" - so they could chose to send a postcard in response of an attack on another country. Or do something "including the use of armed force".

They could also point to Article 1, and try "to settle any international dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered, and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations".
http://www.nato.int/cps/on/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm

[Marthe48]

2. Wonder if that blows up in his face?

so to speak.

[Red Mountain]

4. So we can load NG on tanker ships and compete

price-wise with Russian pipelines?

Anybody help here? Need numbers.

Sounds to me like a scam where we pretend to compete and therefore make Russian NG look all that much more attractive.

In collusion with Putin, of course. He's probably expecting a return and Trump is doing his best to comply.

Lest the bill come due.....

[Nitram]

5. Vlad will flatter Don the Con and come away with a great, a beautiful, deal.

[sandensea]

6. Sounds like political smoke.

His handlers are telling him that he needs to "announce" something that would allow his knuckle-dragger base to say: "you, you see? Trump ISN'T on the Russian payroll!!"

[truthisfreedom]

7. Someone needs to look into why Obama refused to allow this to happen.

There's only one port I'm aware of in the US that's capable of exporting LNG and Obama made sure it didn't happen on his watch.

My guess is prices will explode when we start running short of natural gas as our exports start.

[Progressive dog]

8. We already export LNG to China

and just put in place a new agreement to help us export more. We remain a net importer of natural gas as of 2016 (about 7% in 2014 was imported- mostly from Canada).
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/new-deal-allows-us-sell-tons-natural-gas-china-20677

[Sunlei]

10. USA needs "something" to send back on all those Chinese shipping container barges :)

[Sunlei]

9. while that looks "great" for a headline & on personal resume those countries do have contracts? Plus

sea shipping needs a port to use. Russia seems to have locked up sea ports near Ukraine & Syria.

Assuming trumps 'allies' means Turkey and Ukraine. Poland I guess is another 'ally' who needs winter heating but they're a very poor country. I guess they would use north sea shipping ports? much closer to Russia & a far distance for USA shipping.

WW2 Poland hasn't recovered very much from what war did to their economy, their entire country was looted & exterminated.

Always overland but that goes through lands not very safe and many pipelines, trains controlled & built by by Russia.

I think trumps just flails to find some tiny weak deal he can make for his media "SHOW" to pump-up as incredible trump story of the week.

[Maxheader]

11. Hammer and Sickle

tattoos are becoming popular here.

[Progressive dog]

12. US companies have been unable to compete

with Russian natural gas in the EU.
A recent Bloomberg report starts;

Energy majors see Russia shrugging off competition from LNG
Gazprom’s gas sales abroad account for 10% of Russia’s exports

Europe has wanted to wean itself from Russian natural gas ever since supplies from its eastern neighbor dropped during freezing weather in 2009. Almost a decade later, the region has never been more dependent.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-01/putin-s-russia-seen-dominating-european-energy-for-two-decades

Trump will do nothing real against Putin.