Poland's state-run oil company signed a 24-year contract on Thursday to buy liquefied natural gas from the U.S.-based company Cheniere, a transaction hailed as a victory for Trump's energy dominance agenda meant to move Europe from dependence on Russian energy.

“This LNG deal with Poland is a major step forward for our ally’s effort to become less reliant on Russian natural gas, which Vladimir Putin has used to bully and intimidate the Polish people,” said Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, where Cheniere is based. The company is the largest LNG exporter in the country.

Cheniere signed the deal with Polish Oil and Gas Company with Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Polish President Andrzej Duda present, according to a tweet by the company with photos of Perry and Duda presiding over the signing, saying it was "honored" to announce the deal in their presence.



President Trump signed a joint statement with Duda in September to counter Russian energy dominance in Central Europe and the Baltic region, while Perry has agreed to work with Poland in recent months on a strategy to diversify the energy supply.

"Thanks to this agreement we will have regular supplies of LNG from the USA starting as early as 2019," said Piotr Wozniak, president of the management board at PGNiG.

The announcement is also a "big win" for the natural gas industry and its workers in Louisiana, Sen. Cassidy continued in his statement.

"I applaud the Trump administration and Secretary Perry for prioritizing international deals like this one that benefit American workers, boost America’s allies, and weaken America’s rivals,” the senator said.

The consulting firm Stratfor issued a statement that said the deal is in line with Polish efforts to diversify its energy suppliers and move away from Russian natural gas imports.

