BRUSSELS--The United States and the European Union Wednesday
pledged strong support to Ukraine to decrease its dependence on
Russian gas and said they would work jointly on diversifying energy
supplies in Europe.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU's foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton said the crisis in Ukraine has "brought
energy concerns to the fore" and called on Russia to stick to
principles of "fairness, non-discrimination" when dealing with its
energy partners, according to a joint statement issued after talks
in Brussels.
"The EU and United States recognized that our energy security
concerns and those of our friends and partners pose common
challenges, and are considering new collaborative efforts to
address these challenges," the statement said.
A senior U.S. official said the two sides were "sharply focused"
on addressing the "critical needs' of Ukraine.
Ukraine is the main transit route for Russian gas imports to
Europe, ramping up concerns in Brussels that supplies could be
halted in the event of a dispute between the two sides. Ukraine
currently owes Russian state gas monopoly OAO Gazprom $2.1billion
in unpaid bills, with the prospect of its debts spiraling further
this month, when it will have to pay higher prices for the gas.
The high-level energy summit, which was also attended by EU
energy chief Gunther Oettinger and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy
Daniel Poneman, came on the same day as the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization said it would propose a "reassurance package" by April
15 to bolster the military alliance's response to Russia's military
actions in the region.
Speaking a day after the alliance's foreign affairs chiefs met
in Brussels, NATO's top military commander, Gen. Philip Breedlove,
said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal the plan could
include deploying forces and equipment in Eastern Europe, beefing
up military exercises, and increasing the readiness of NATO's
rapid-response force.
Write to Vanessa Mock at vanessa.mock@wsj.com
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