The United States’s priority is to help Europe minimize dependence on Russian gas, US Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of State's Bureau of Energy Resources John McCarrick said.
"The United States does not seek to eliminate Russian gas from the market," McCarrick said, stressing, however, that Washington’s priority is to help European countries minimize dependence on a single supplier.
"The United States supports a pro-Europe energy security policy based on diversification of fuel types, supply sources and delivery routes," McCarrick explained.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary added that the United States is opposed to the Nord Stream 2 and the Turkish Stream pipeline projects implemented by Russian energy giant Gazprom jointly with its partners from Europe.
"Russia’s aim is political in nature, as they want to develop these projects to gain the technical capacity to make good on its threat to eliminate Ukraine as a gas transit state," he claimed, adding that this not only would deprive Ukraine of over $2 billion in annual transit revenues, but "of a vital, physical and symbolic link to the West."
"Construction of Nord Stream 2 would concentrate 75 to 80% of Russian gas imports to the European Union through a single route, thereby creating a potential choke point that would significantly increase Europe’s vulnerability to supply disruption, whether intentional or accidental," McCarrick noted, adding that the US welcomes the "skepticism and the vocal opposition within Europe to these unwise projects," which has mostly been voiced by eastern European members.
