text: US PREPARES TO SURGE NATURAL GAS TO EUROPE: In response to natural gas flow manipulation by Russia’s Gazprom and potential war in Eastern Europe, the U.S. is in talks with producers to increase deliveries to Europe. U.S. gas exports will be insufficient to meet power demands across Europe, despite annual increases. An unnamed U.S. official said, “We’ve been working to identify additional volumes of non-Russian natural gas from various areas of the world; from North Africa and the Middle East to Asia and the United States.” Qatari representatives said they would be unable to meet demands from Europe due to existing capacity limits and long-term agreements with China. (AC: The ongoing “quiet diplomacy” from U.S. officials indicates an increased potential for conflict in Europe. China’s acquisition of Middle Eastern gas supplies is unlikely the result of long-term geopolitical coordination with Russia but remains a disadvantage for the West. Gazprom’s recent statements about European gas stores will continue to negatively impact unity across NATO members, with Germany being the greatest target for energy manipulation. Read more about those impacts in the Russia-NATO SITREP.