On December 2, CEPA hosted an off-the-record discussion with Senior Vice President Edward Lucas on how the Ukraine war is impacting CEE diversification efforts; and how U.S.-CEE cooperation on energy exports might strengthen the energy resilience of allies.
The changing geopolitical environment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) continues to raise concerns about the region’s energy diversification efforts. Poland and Lithuania have taken historic steps toward greater energy independence with the opening of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on their shores. The Slovak-Hungarian gas interconnector is allowing greater regional energy transmission than ever before. The Ukraine war has also initiated an unprecedented transatlantic dialogue on the possibility of bringing U.S. LNG and crude oil exports to the region. But Russia remains the energy supplier to the region. Questions linger on what more can be done to alleviate economic and political pressure from Moscow. Two years later, in what ways has the Ukraine war altered CEE energy diversification efforts, and how are these efforts sizing up to the threats posed by Russia? How is America crucial to challenging and overcoming geopolitical barriers to CEE energy security, and where does transatlantic energy cooperation now stand?
