Sec. Rick Perry pushing US energy deals to replace Russian supplies in Europe

Washington Examiner:
Energy Secretary Rick Perry worked this week to cement a new partnership with Central European countries to push more U.S. natural gas into the European Union, while countering Russian energy dominance there.

Perry announced, in a tweet Wednesday, the creation of the U.S.-led "Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation" at the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest, Romania.

The partnership will help enable the nations of Central Europe to "work together to meet collective challenges while charting their own energy futures," he said.

Perry closed the meeting with a speech that discussed "cutting dependence on Russia and the importance of diversifying energy sources," the Energy Department said in a readout from the summit. Perry also met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss energy security.

Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette also held talks earlier this week with State Secretary Walter Lindner of Germany to discuss the Nord Stream II pipeline from Russia that the administration opposes. The administration wants Germany to diversify the continent's energy supply away from Russia and toward U.S. liquefied natural gas imports.
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Meanwhile, President Trump, meeting with Polish President Duda on Tuesday at the White House, made clear that moving the region away from Russian sources of energy was a top concern.

Trump also said he supports the Three Seas Initiative's goal of reducing trade barriers in Europe to allow more U.S. natural gas flow to the continent. Trade barriers "make it very difficult for the United States," Trump said at a joint press conference with Duda.
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This should make sense from a strategic standpoint for our NATO allies in Europe.  It also puts the lie to the Democrat Russian hoax suggesting this administration is doing Russia's bidding.  That was never true and this makes it clear.

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