Trump eyes Poland’s energy market as hedge against Russia

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President Trump announced Tuesday that he will launch an energy security collaborative with Poland to advance his energy diversity agenda for Europe, an initiative meant to counter the influence Russia wields through its supply of gas to Europe.

“All across Europe, no nation should be dependent on a single foreign supplier of energy,” Trump said during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is in Washington as part of his first official state visit to the White House.

“And soon, our nations will launch a high-level diplomatic exchange on energy security,” Trump added, touting the recent fact that the U.S. is now the largest energy producer in the world.

[More: Poland’s president wants ‘Fort Trump’ military base to deter Russia]

Trump said he and Duda “are exploring opportunities to advance energy security,” saying both Poland and the U.S. are “deeply committed to energy diversity.”

Trump pointed out that Poland is working hard to make Central Europe energy secure, alluding to the fact that Russia is looking to become a key supplier in the region through the proposed Nordstream II pipeline.

Duda said Russia is the biggest threat to European energy security. He said the “threat of Russian domination in Europe” was part of the discussion with Trump in their talks on Tuesday.

He explained it is the reason why Poland is looking to build inroads for U.S. natural gas to supply both Poland and Central Europe.

Trump said that Poland is building its own natural gas pipeline to begin supplying natural gas, including U.S. shale gas, into Europe.

Trump also touted the fact that Poland was the first country in Europe to begin receiving shale natural gas from the U.S. last year after completing a state-of-the-art liquefied natural gas import terminal.

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