The European Union must implement its trade deal with the United States without amendments or risk losing favorable access to its liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, U.S. ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder said.
On March 23, Puzder told the Financial Times that if the bloc tried to modify the terms of the deal, then energy exports could be at risk.
The parliament is set to vote on Thursday on key parts of the deal.
“I don’t know what will happen with respect to energy if they don’t go forward with the agreement,” Puzder said. “If Turnberry isn’t implemented, I mean, we’re back to square one. I’m not sure where we go.”
He said the United States will continue to seek to do business with Europe, “but just the terms may not be as favorable. The environment certainly won’t be as favorable. And ... there are other buyers out there.”
Puzder continued, “Personally … I thought the Europeans should have committed to a trillion dollars’ worth of energy because it wasn’t just a promise that they would buy this energy, it was a commitment that we would sell them the energy.
“If they’re [EU member states] going to survive economically, they need energy, and we can supply it,” Puzder added. “We’d like to have the kind of relationship where we’re encouraged to do that.”
The United States was the EU's largest LNG supplier in 2025, accounting for almost 58 percent of total LNG imports, according to the EU.
The centre-right European People’s Party Group (EPP), the European Parliament’s largest bloc, of which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is a part, said in a statement that it wants "a swift approval of this agreement to bring stability to transatlantic trade."
In a statement on March 23, Zeljana Zovko, the EPP Group's member of parliament responsible for trade relations with the United States, said: "At a time of uncertainty, we must provide clarity and stability."
"Approving this agreement will strengthen our partnership with the United States and show that Europe is a reliable partner," she added.
The escalation follows a wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Feb. 28 and have increasingly targeted the region’s energy infrastructure.
The disruption comes as Europe also shuts off Russian gas.
European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen said in a March 19 post on X that “as of today, the EU begins closing the tap on Russian gas for good.”
“Imports under short- or long-term liquified natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas contracts concluded, or amended, after 17 June 2025 are now prohibited,” he said.
In a March 19 report, S&P Global said the European gas market is heading into the summer season with “an almost unprecedented challenge; record low inventories and significant disruptions to supply.”
It said that European gas stocks stood at 28.93 percent fullness on March 16, according to the latest Gas Infrastructure Europe data. German gas storage was lower at 21.93 percent full on March 16.