Montana senator says Europe offers cautionary tale on energy security

Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines stated Russian President Vladimir Putin has the European Union “over a barrel” because it scrambles to safe dependable vitality options, warning Tuesday that the disaster ought to function a “wake-up name” for the US because it seeks to construct out its personal home manufacturing.

“The underside line is that this: Power safety equals nationwide safety,” Daines stated in an interview with the Washington Examiner, including that the EU is “beginning to get up” by way of what the bloc should do in an effort to cut back its dependence on Russia.

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Europe, Daines added, “[needs] to pivot to America and different extra pleasant sources for oil, pure fuel, and coal.”

His feedback come as EU leaders put together to fulfill Wednesday to debate their sixth spherical of sanctions towards Russia. Earlier this month, leaders gave the impression to be warming to the potential of together with in that raft a doable embargo of Russian oil, although opposition from Germany and Hungary, two member nations which can be deeply depending on Russian provides, seem to have stalled that effort within the quick time period.

“Vladimir Putin is weaponizing vitality,” Daines stated. “I feel that is nonetheless not talked about sufficient by way of what’s occurred to Europe as they’ve been rising their dependencies on Russian oil and fuel and coal,” he added.

Daines’s feedback have been prescient. Hours later, Russia introduced it deliberate to chop Poland and Bulgaria off from its provide starting tomorrow, Bloomberg Information reported, an occasion that solely exacerbates the necessity for the EU to safe dependable, different provides as quickly as doable.

In the meantime, Russian-owned fuel large Gazprom additionally knowledgeable Poland’s PGNiG that fuel provides alongside the Yamal pipeline can be stopped, in keeping with a press release from the Polish vitality firm, and the Bulgarian Power Ministry has additionally been knowledgeable that fuel shipments can be suspended Wednesday, as reported by the BBC.

“The Europeans have realized a really, very painful lesson,” Daines stated. However he stated it additionally serves as a robust wake-up name for the Biden administration, which he warned should act instantly to keep away from an identical destiny.

“America must proceed to aggressively improve its vitality manufacturing. I say vitality — it’s oil, it’s pure fuel, and it is coal — to be the supply of vitality for the world as an alternative of Russia being the supply of vitality, notably for Europe,” the senator stated.

“People are feeling the ache on the pump in addition to their month-to-month utility payments. That can solely worsen,” Daines stated. “We have got to alter path, and the Biden administration, frankly, is complicit on this by way of the judges they place on the bench, the regulators they place on businesses like [the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission], as a result of they’re anti-made in America fossil fuels.”

The EU is hoping it might cut back demand for Russian fuel by two-thirds this 12 months by diversifying fuel provides, whereas the latest Versailles Declaration, agreed to by member states final month, dedicated them to “[phasing] out our dependency on Russian fuel, oil, and coal imports as quickly as doable.”

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Daines and Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz have been the primary two U.S. lawmakers to journey to Ukraine since Russia invaded Feb. 24, and since their return, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin have visited Kyiv to fulfill with President Volodymyr Zelensky.