Dubai, UAE — The European Union and the US Tuesday pledged to continue efforts to keep the global energy markets stable and confront efforts to circumvent sanctions on Russian goods including coal and oil.
This was stated at the tenth US-EU Energy Council in Brussels, chaired by US secretary of state Antony Blinken, US deputy secretary of energy David M. Turk, EU High Representative Josep Borrell Fontelles and European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.
A statement issued by the US State Department said competitive, liquid and transparent global energy markets remain critical to ensuring a reliable, sustainable, affordable, and secure energy supply for Europe to serve the transition to climate neutrality.
The US-EU Energy Council is the lead transatlantic coordination forum on strategic energy issues for policy exchange and coordination at political and technical levels.
Condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Council asked Russia to withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine.
“Russia’s war has also triggered a global food and energy security crisis, with sharp increases in prices, market volatility and a disproportionate impact on the developing world and vulnerable populations,” the statement said.
“Russia’s actions, including massive attacks on critical infrastructure, have put unprecedented strain on the safety and functioning of Ukraine’s energy systems, including the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, leaving millions of people without electricity, heating, and water, and undermining nuclear safety and security,” it added.
Accelerating the energy transition, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and reducing energy consumption are key to strengthening energy security and “countering attempts to weaponize energy”, the statement said.
The Council recognized the role of the Joint Energy Security Task Force set up in March 2022 by Presidents Biden and von der Leyen with the aim of supporting the rapid elimination of the EU’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels by diversifying its natural gas supplies, taking steps to minimize the sector’s climate impact, and reducing the overall demand for natural gas.
The statement cited growing cyber and physical threats to energy infrastructure and plan to continue related cooperation, including in the context of the synchronization of the Baltic States’ electricity networks with the Continental European Network.
The meeting said the US, the EU and its Member States intend to continue providing emergency energy assistance to Ukraine via the support fora set up in 2022, including the G7+ coordination forum and the International Advisory Energy Council for Ukraine