US Energy Secretary's letter puts US and EU's relationship in doubt

The United States' Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, has asked seven major refiners to limit exports at a time when US allies in Europe are desperate for alternative supplies of fuel, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"Given the historic level of US refined product exports, I again urge you to focus in the near term on building inventories in the United States, rather than selling down current stocks and further increasing exports," she said.

"It is our hope that companies will proactively address this need," she said, adding that the administration will consider additional federal requirements or other emergency measures if the companies don't.

However, according to a joint statement from President Biden and President von der Leyen on European Energy Security, released on June 27 this year, the US is working together with the EU to find ways to further reduce Russia's energy-derived revenues in the coming months and also "partnering to diversify energy supplies to Europe".

"The Granholm export threat is also a slap in the face to European allies trying to diversify energy sources from Russia," the WSJ's editorial board wrote. Europe is trying hard to find diesel fuel since some manufacturers and power generators are considering using it as a substitute for natural gas.

Thurmer Gyula, president of the Hungarian Workers Party, said in a recent interview with the China Central Television that the EU and the people of Europe are in trouble now, "A cold winter is looming due to the lack of Russian gas. We don't know what will happen next, but it's certain that European people don't want to live this way."

Willy Wimmer, Germany's former parliamentary state secretary, said in an exclusive interview with CMG that the US has long planned to provoke the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, "Sanctions against Russia are aimed at achieving a political goal, just like the development of the situation in Ukraine is also for the same political purpose, which US allies must bear the consequences of sanctions against Russia as a result." He added that this is not good for the world.

Granholm wrote the letter because the administration is worried that fuel prices would spike before the November election due to a refinery outage, the WSJ article added.