Although Russia was expelled from the G-8 in 2014 after the invasion of Crimea, one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise based on recent developments ahead of this week’s political forum of the world’s largest democracies.

Energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven countries met last month before May’s annual summit and laid out commitments that are a clear win for Russia. One of Moscow's biggest advantages in its war against Ukraine is its ability to use “vast energy resources as tools of geopolitical coercion” against the United States and our allies. While 2022’s joint G-7 statement took a strong stand for Ukraine by affirming that “oil and gas producing countries” must play a critical role in reducing dependence on Russia, this year’s communique watered down that commitment. Instead of reiterating resolve, the focus has shifted to “recognizing the primary need to accelerate the clean energy transition through … gas demand reduction.”

The reversal appears driven in part by intense lobbying from the Biden administration, which reportedly fought proposals “to advocate for natural gas investment” as it prepares to issue stringent new rules at home cracking down on natural gas-fired power plants. The American representative at the meeting, climate envoy John Kerry, even trumpeted the shift, claiming that “energy security is being exaggerated.”

Such a statement represents a direct contradiction of Kerry’s positions on energy security dating back decades. As the 2004 Democratic Party standard bearer, Kerry accused former President George W. Bush of allowing “our nation's dependence on foreign oil” and called for creating an Energy Security Trust Fund that would find “new sources of natural gas.” In 2009, then-Sen. Kerry held a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to argue that “our energy security challenge is varied and enormous.” He went on to decry “the potential for monopolistic Russian control over energy supplies is a source of profound concern for our allies.” In 2014, then-U.S. Secretary of State Kerry said Russia’s invasion of Crimea “has “brought energy security concerns to the fore."

Yet now, amid the largest war in Europe since World War II, energy security is suddenly less of a concern.

Kerry’s flip-flop will raise alarm bells with key American allies who continue to be squeezed by Russia, especially as looming tensions between Iran and China threaten to destabilize global energy markets further. According to Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Japan is already frustrated with the Biden administration, as Kerry has been “privately discouraging investment in long-term U.S. [liquefied natural gas] ventures.” Kerry’s sabotage campaign has been so severe that a bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators wrote to the Biden administration in March, urging them to “publicly support the export of abundant U.S. natural gas to America’s allies in Europe and Asia, particularly Japan.”

The G-7 statement might feel like a vanity exercise to appease extreme green interests, but the tone set at the highest levels has real-world implications for American energy producers. If our own government refuses to back industries that employ millions of Americans, industry leaders in other countries will be more reluctant to bet on American energy. As a result, the world will remain more dependent on adversaries such as Russia that unapologetically promote their own energy interests.

Ironically, this anti-LNG mentality also undermines the Biden administration’s new emission standards that require electric vehicles to make up at least 54% of new car sales by 2030 and 66% by 2032. Without affordable energy to power the grid reliably, these mandates will be even more costly, disruptive, and unrealistic for Americans.

President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to make sure the “Ukrainian people are in the strongest possible position to defend their nation.” Fortunately, there is a clear path for the president to do it: aggressively champion American energy at home and abroad. Unfortunately, his commitment is being overrun by his administration’s reckless green agenda. The G-7’s wobbling on LNG may generate glowing reviews from the dark money environmental lobby, but it will only play into the hands of Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the expense of American consumers and energy workers.

Daniel Turner is the founder and executive director of Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates American energy jobs. Contact him at daniel@powerthefuture.com and follow him on Twitter @DanielTurnerPTF.