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Russia Just Won Big in the European Gas War
OilPrice.com ^ | May 2018 | Tim Daiss

Posted on 05/29/2018 9:28:50 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Amid President Donald Trump’s push for American energy independence and thrust to wean Europe off of geopolitically charged Russian gas -- several European states, particularly Germany, have accused the president of playing energy geopolitics, cloaking American concern for European energy security under the guise and to the benefit of U.S. producers.

Now, Trump and U.S. LNG exporters will have an even harder time convincing key EU members to offset overreliance on Russian piped gas.

Last week, Gazprom, the world’s largest gas producer, and the European Commission resolved a seven-year anti-trust dispute after the Russian state-controlled energy giant agreed to change its operations in central and Eastern Europe.

It’s a win situation for Gazprom since its agreement avoids billions of dollars in penalties that could have been levied by the European Commission; while it also helps the firm solidify its hold on European gas markets.

After the European Commissions’ announcement over its Gazprom decision was reached in Copenhagen on Thursday, a U.S. envoy pleaded for Europe to consider carefully who it’s relying on for gas, urging Europe both to take more LNG and to scrap the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would give Russia a pipeline route to Germany that avoids countries like Ukraine that rely on transport revenue.

“What price freedom?” Dan Brouillette, deputy U.S. energy secretary, told reporters in Copenhagen. “That’s an important concept. We’re talking energy security and not so much economics here.”

But for now, it seems that Europe, though it has been caught in the crosshairs of Russia’s geopolitical maneuverings in the past when Moscow cut off gas supplies to Europe to push its own agenda, sees economic considerations and a stubborn short-sited energy policy over regional energy security concerns.

Russia's grip on European gas markets has increased to record levels.

(Excerpt) Read more at oilprice.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: energy; gas; gazprom; oil; opec; russia

1 posted on 05/29/2018 9:28:50 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

““What price freedom?” Dan Brouillette, deputy U.S. energy secretary, told reporters in Copenhagen. “That’s an important concept.”

Probably said without the slightest sense of irony.


2 posted on 05/29/2018 9:33:47 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Merkel would rather deal with Russia than the USA. It’s just being practical and keeping control of the EU.


3 posted on 05/29/2018 9:34:02 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

1. Their claims here are ridiculous. If the US has spare LNG to sell somebody is going to buy it rest assured. We can sell to Japan. We can sell to China. Somebody will be quite happy to buy it at world market prices.

2. this is yet another example of the Yurps not caring a jot about their own defense. These freeloaders refuse to honor their commitments to spend a paltry 2% of GDP on defense instead sponging off of US to continue providing or their defense as they’ve done for decades. Then they can’t even think about restraining themselves for so much as 2 seconds before tying themselves to Russian energy supplies which could be cut off at any time. Because god forbid you should actually buy your energy from your supposed ally....the very same one that has been bankrolling your defense for decades while you freeloaded.

I’ll say it again. The Yurps are not our allies. We should withdraw from Nato and bring the boys home.


4 posted on 05/29/2018 9:38:19 AM PDT by FLT-bird (..)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Anything that encourages production helps the US. The whole gas “hostage” or gas as a “strategic weapon” storyline is overwrought. Leave US energy deregulated, unsubsidized, unprotected, and especially un-weaponized. Sure let’s liquify, ship transatlantic, and then re-gasify instead of using a simple pipeline.

The Germans have about finished wrecking their electric bill infrastructure. They can now go all in and lock themselves into gas supplied by Russia. What better way to cutdown on German exports?


5 posted on 05/29/2018 9:42:56 AM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Sacajaweau
Merkel would rather deal with Russia than the USA. It’s just being practical and keeping control of the EU.

Germany has been drifting into Russia's influence for a while now, and how goes Germany, so goes the EU. There are a few members who do not miss the Soviet boot on their neck and will resist. We will see how far Europa will go to keep them in line. Poland, the Baltic states and other former Eastern Block countries could find themselves pinched between a Marxist Germany/EU and a Stalinist Russia. NATO's days are probably numbered...

6 posted on 05/29/2018 10:18:34 AM PDT by ETCM
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

7 posted on 05/29/2018 10:25:01 AM PDT by BBell (calm down and eat your sandwiches)
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To: Sacajaweau

Of course.

It is foolish to rely on ship loads of gas when there are pipes immediately available.

Mother Russia needs to sell to stay alive.


8 posted on 05/29/2018 10:31:50 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Greetings Jacques. The revolution is coming))
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

I find this funny. We deal with oil imports for the purpose of keeping away from war overseas amoungst starving countries. They need our money or they go broke and can’t afford to feed themselves. The US is holding their undivided attention with our purchases and our funds. We have the capacity to ignore their sales and prices with our reserves in ANWAR and Florida alone. We don’t need their oil, but they need our money. So what are they going to do, bitch at us some more? Trump will tell them to hang it in their ear and move on.

We don’t buy much from them anyway. Our largest imports come from Venezuela, Mexico, and Canada. It’s not real smart to bite the hand that feeds you.

rwood


9 posted on 05/29/2018 10:36:10 AM PDT by Redwood71
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Let the Germans freeze in the dark!


10 posted on 05/29/2018 10:46:04 AM PDT by Beagle8U (Liberals can kiss my bitter clingers!)
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To: FLT-bird

Just the other day Poland offered to host and PAY for a new base for our troops there.

We can easily close what little remains in Germany (for USAFE—Ramstein and Spangdalehm) and move it ALL to Poland.


11 posted on 05/29/2018 10:57:23 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (MAGAMarchOnWashington.com)
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To: ETCS
drifting INTO??

Don't kid yourself. Merkel and Putin are good buds. It's a mutually beneficial relationship and it's been like that for ages.

12 posted on 05/29/2018 11:05:03 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

The socialists hatred of the U.S. (that fuels so much anti-U.S. themes in Europe) has been trumping national and regional security, as a priority, over “rapprochement” with Russia all the way back to the “cold war”.

Intellectually of course, there was a direct “intellectual” pipeline from the politburo in Moscow to government policy making and academics in the west, that helped raise and support all the Left’s anti-U.S. themes.

What has Russia succeeded in, thanks 100% to western Leftists? It has succeeded in hiding the reality that it is the wolf while convincing Europeans that its best friend is.


13 posted on 05/29/2018 12:16:16 PM PDT by Wuli
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