Joe Biden 'is good when he's awake' says Biggins
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U.S. President Joe Biden and his European Union counterpart Ursula von der Leyen struck a deal on Friday to cooperate on alleviating Europe’s energy crisis by reducing its dependency on gas imported from Russia.
The two world leaders have also pledged to cooperate on guaranteeing Ukraine’s security amid the standoff triggered by Russia amassing troops at Ukraine’s border.
In a joint statement, they said: “The United States and the EU are working jointly towards continued, sufficient, and timely supply of natural gas to the EU from diverse sources across the globe to avoid supply shocks, including those that could result from a further Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops near the Ukrainian border as it presses demands for a redrawing of post-Cold War security arrangements in Europe.
The US and its allies have warned the Russian President that Russia will face swift and tough economic sanctions if he attacks Ukraine.
In the joint statement, they said: “The United States is already the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU. We are collaborating with governments and market operators on supply of additional volumes of natural gas to Europe from diverse sources across the globe.
“LNG in the short-term can enhance security of supply while we continue to enable the transition to net zero emissions. The European Commission will work for improved transparency and utilisation of LNG terminals in the EU.
They added: “We intend to work together, in close collaboration with EU Member States, on LNG supplies for security of supply and contingency planning. We will also exchange views on the role of storage in security of supply.”
This comes as Mr Putin spoke to French counterpart Emmanuel Macron over a call, where he expressed his “dissatisfaction” at the West over the US’ response to Russia’s demands.
Mr Putin said: “The US and NATO responses did not take into account Russia’s fundamental concerns including preventing NATO’s expansion and refusing to deploy strike weapons systems near Russia’s borders,” according to a readout of the call from the Kremlin.
Russia issued its demands last month, wanting a permanent ban on Ukraine from joining NATO, along with a pullback of the alliance’s forces deployed to Eastern European and ex-Soviet countries that joined the alliance after the Cold War.
On Wednesday, the US rejected Russia’s demand on blocking Ukraine but offered to discuss missile placements in the region.
The Russian President has been pushing for the certification for a new pipeline, Nord Stream 2, which will transit gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea.
While the Kremlin has argued that this can double Europe’s gas supply and ease the surging prices seen in recent months, critics argue that it will only give Mr Putin more control over global energy markets.
This is a breaking story, More to follow.
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