US shouldn’t interfere in European energy policy – German diplomat

The United States must not determine European energy policy or decide whether Berlin buys Russian gas, a top German diplomat said on Tuesday. Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andreas Michaelis said Russia would remain a key energy supplier for Europe, regardless of US pressure on the issue, Reuters reported. “This is part of European core interests,” Michaelis told a conference on transatlantic ties hosted by the Aspen Institute think tank. “I don’t want European energy policy to be defined in Washington.” US President Donald Trump has criticized Berlin for supporting the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which will transport Russian gas to Germany. “I’m certainly not willing to accept that Washington is deciding at the end of the day that we should not rely on Russian gas and that we should not complete this pipeline project,” Michaelis said.