Europäische Länder vereinbaren „entschlossene“ Reaktion auf Diesel-Druck aus den USA
Die Länder, darunter Großbritannien, Frankreich und Deutschland, hielten am Donnerstag eine Krisensitzung ab, um auf die Forderungen der Trump-Regierung nach einer Freigabe ihrer Dieselreserven zu reagieren.
In a crisis meeting, five European countries agreed on Thursday to respond "with a unified voice" to growing pressure from the US government to release European diesel reserves, reported POLITICO. The participating EU nations – France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Ireland, and the European Commission – discussed how to react to Washington's demands during the talks, according to three European officials.
The US had reportedly put pressure on the EU countries to release their diesel reserves, threatening a ban on US diesel exports if they did not comply. The participating countries and the Commission agreed on three points: to respond with a "coordinated voice," ensure that any decision on releasing reserves is taken at the level of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and to try to ease tensions in talks with the US.
The IEA coordinates energy policy for the world's rich industrial nations. The IEA introduced the release of oil reserves in early January following the blockage of the Hormuz Strait, with Germany participating. The aim is "to de-escalate the situation," said one of the parties involved in the crisis discussions. "One should appear self-assured but positive in communication...
If one is dealing with a hungry lion, one shouldn't play dirty tricks," added the person. A larger group of countries, some of which are also under pressure from the Trump administration, will discuss their response during a meeting on Friday. Earlier, POLITICO reported that US Energy Secretary Chris Wright had approached several EU states, urging them to release diesel reserves as an alternative to an export ban.
Europe is heavily dependent on diesel from the United States, with diesel prices skyrocketing in the US due to the wars in Ukraine and Iran, increasing pressure on US President Donald Trump to lower prices before the crucial midterm elections. Trump had refused to rule out an export ban despite strong opposition from the US oil industry.
"I'm thinking about it," Trump said at a podium in the Oval Office regarding the export ban. "I talk to [Energy Secretary] Chris Wright and [Secretary of State] Doug Burgum about it - they somehow think it would help diesel, but it could drive up prices for other things."
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
