EU, US holding talks on energy cooperation

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – Top officials from the European Union and the United States on Tuesday are holding a meeting on energy cooperation.

“We will focus on how we can further reduce European dependence on Russian energy and boost the Euro-Atlantic region's clean energy production,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters ahead of the EU-US Energy Council ministerial meeting.

Blinken spoke at a joint news conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after their bilateral meeting, where they discussed the most important developments in foreign policy.

Besides Blinken and Borrell, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and US Deputy Secretary for Energy David Turk will also hold talks at the meeting.

“US-European Union relations have never been stronger or more important for advancing our shared interests,” Blinken asserted.

He explained that the US and the EU are both committed “to preventing a climate catastrophe by accelerating the global clean energy transition” and aim to build “resilient, secure and diversified supply chains for renewable energy.”

He called last year’s developments in EU-US energy cooperation “extraordinary” as the bloc raised its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the US 140% to cut its energy dependence on Russia.

Blinken praised the EU’s efforts last year to reducing the share of Russian gas imports from 40% to 15%.

He also reaffirmed that the US and EU will work together to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian war effort.

“The Kremlin's finances have been squeezed to devastating effect, forcing (it to) choose war or provide for its own citizens” as a result of the sanctions the US and EU imposed on Russia, he added.