3 minutes
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday pledged $1 billion in U.S.
support to help Europe avoid reliance on Russia for energy needs.
Pompeo made the announcement in a speech during the second day of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
The conference is a "venue for diplomatic initiatives" that address security issues, its website states.
The $1 billion in support will go to the Three Seas Initiative, an
effort to promote unity among 12 European Union member states with a
focus on energy, infrastructure and digital connectivity.
"Our aim is quite simple: It is to galvanize private sector investment
in the energy sector to protect freedom and democracy around the world,"
Pompeo said.
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., introduced a bipartisan resolution
supporting the strategic partnership in November with the goal to reduce
reliance on Russia for energy.
"Russia has long used energy as a weapon to coerce and manipulate our
European allies," Kinzinger said in a statement. "The Three Seas
Initiative will bolster energy independence and infrastructure security
in the region, and further show U.S. support in the face of increased
Russian and Chinese influence over these countries."
Pompeo's comments Saturday came amid European criticism of President
Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan and "America first"
foreign policy.
"Our closest ally, the United States of America, under the current
administration, rejects the very concept of the international
community," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on the
conference's first day. "'Great again' but at the expense of neighbors
and partners."
"Thinking and acting this way hurts us all," Steinmeier added.
Pompeo defended Trump's pressure on several European allies to boost
military spending. In particular, Trump tweeted last summer that the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been "very unfair of the United
States," since other countries have not been contributing as much to
shared defense expenditures.
"The United States has urged NATO on to $400 billion in new pledges,"
Pompeo said. "We did this because our nations are safer when we work
together and when we field the strongest forces and capabilities."
Join Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
Comments
Post a Comment