U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe will be the main competition for Gazprom this year, the Russian gas giant said on Thursday in an abrupt change of tone towards gas supplies from the United States.

“It is obvious that LNG will be the main rival in the battle for the European consumer,” Sergei Komlev, head of contracts structuring, said in comments published in Gazprom’s magazine on Thursday.

Gazprom has previously dismissed concerns that U.S. LNG supplies to Europe could have an impact on its business, with officials saying that Russian gas will always be cheaper than imports from the United States.

U.S. LNG has flooded Europe since October last year, reshaping gas flows on the continent and leading to high storage levels and narrower price spreads.