France urges the US to coordinate with the EU in the face of a possible Russian gas embargo

France on Tuesday urged the United States to coordinate with the European Union (EU) before a possible embargo on Russian gas and oil, in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

“We ask for a little coordination”, said the environment of the French Minister of Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompilitwo days before meeting with his US counterpart from Energy.

The United States invoked this possible embargo to deprive Moscow of the lucrative income from the sale of these hydrocarbons, although it has not yet made a decision.

According to France, which holds the pro tempore presidency of the EU Council, Europe imports 40% of its gas from Russia, so it is in a different situation from the United States.

“We understand the US position.” but “They don’t have the same energy situation as us”points out the source of the Pompili environment.

The head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, said on Monday that Russia’s fossil energy imports were “essentials” to ensure the supply of the European continent.

“When the time comes, we will decide whether to follow the United States, but in any case it will be a united response” at a European level, pointed out the environment of the French minister.

His French counterpart from Economy, Bruno Le Maire, assured for his part this Tuesday that Europe has “solutions to become independent from Russian gas” and called “speed them up” for the upcoming boreal winter.

Among the solutions, Le Maire mentioned increasing gas reserves to 90% starting in the middle of the year, as well as making joint purchases at a European level to obtain lower prices.

Another option is to have several gas distributors, improve the operation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and look for alternatives such as biogas.

Washington and its Western allies are unable to agree on whether to include Russia’s strategic hydrocarbons sector in its sanctions package against Russia.

The United States seeks to reduce its oil imports from Russia. In this context, he held talks over the weekend with Venezuela, which has Moscow as a key ally.

The governments of both countries confirmed these talks on Monday, which addressed the issue of energy, among others, despite not having diplomatic relations since 2019.

So, in response to the repression of the opposition in Venezuela, Washington imposed an embargo that prevents the South American country from trading its crude on the US market.