WASHINGTON, July 07. /ITAR-TASS/. If Russia is forced to reduce gas export to Europe amid sanctions on the Ukraine crisis, the US companies may occupy the niche, President of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce, Sergey Millian, told ITAR-TASS on Sunday.

“The necessary infrastructure can be completed in three years. If needed, all ports in Europe will by then be ready to accept both liquefied natural gas and shale gas from the US,” he said adding the US was already exporting shale gas.

Some suspect that the US companies seek to oust Russian competitors from the European market for their benefit but this is “only a conspiracy theory”, which is hardly justified, Millian believes.

“Such decisions are made at the highest level, and concern owners will hardly speak about it. But the managers have no such ideas,” the expert said.

If the US started serious gas export to Europe, “fuel price will increase within the country”, Millian warned.

“The US has sufficient amounts of gas to supply it to most of Europe. But while it is now available in excessive amounts and prices have dropped in the last years, a shortage may occur if export expands,” he said. Such a turn would not be in the US people’s interests but would benefit the business, Millian added.

The Russian-American Chamber of Commerce is a non-governmental organization comprised of about 200 companies, mostly the American ones. Its chief goal is to develop international ties between concerns from Russia and other CIS states with the US partners. The Chamber represents its members’ interests in both Russian and US markets.