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Trump Threatens to Cut US Natural Gas Exports to Europe Over Methane Policy

Alexander Mercouris · Russia Conducts Massive Kiev Strike; Plans Ground Operation; Zelensky Demands More EU Money; Drones · July 2, 2026
Trump Threatens to Cut US Natural Gas Exports to Europe Over Methane Policy
Alexander Mercouris
Alexander Mercouris
Russia Conducts Massive Kiev Strike; Plans Ground Operation; Zelensky Demands More EU Money; Drones
"The president of the United States, Donald Trump, is not happy about certain decisions that the European Union says it wants to make in connection with methane emissions. And he's actually said that unless the U European Union rolls back those policy decisions in relation to methane, well in that unless they do that, the United States will stop supplying natural gas to Europe, liqufied natural gas to Europe."
President Trump has threatened to halt US liquefied natural gas exports to Europe unless the EU reverses planned methane emission regulations, creating a stark contrast with Russia's approach. The speaker notes that Russia never made such threats even when supplying most of Europe's gas, while Europe now depends heavily on US LNG after cutting off Russian pipeline supplies. This comes as European natural gas reserves stand at dangerously low levels ahead of winter.

About this episode

In this July 2, 2026 analysis, the speaker examines Russia's massive 70-missile strike on Kiev and argues it represents part of a systematic campaign to soften Ukrainian defenses ahead of a potential Russian assault on the capital. The attack, one of the largest concentrated strikes on a single city since the war began, utilized multiple missile types including subsonic cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and reportedly hypersonic Zircon systems, killing 13 people. The speaker reveals that a reliable intelligence source has confirmed Russia is preparing a major offensive toward Kiev through Chernigov region from Bryansk, information corroborated by Ukrainian General Syrsky's statements about Russian orders to capture the capital. Russian operations around Sumy and ongoing strikes appear consistent with this plan. On the battlefield, Russian forces continue advancing across multiple fronts, with particular pressure on Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, and Orekhov, prompting warnings that Ukraine should withdraw troops to avoid cauldron situations similar to Avdiivka. The speaker criticizes European defense and energy policies, revealing that UK Prime Minister Starmer's announced £15 billion defense increase actually cuts funding to the British Army, Navy and Air Force while sacrificing road and energy infrastructure spending. He also highlights President Trump's threat to cut US natural gas exports to Europe over methane regulations, noting the irony that Europe replaced reliable Russian gas with supplies from a country willing to use energy as political leverage. The analysis warns of accelerating Russian offensive operations through summer, predicting major Ukrainian territorial losses in Donbass and Zaporizhzhia, potentially including operations against Kiev itself.

Key takeaways

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