【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】On September 25 local time, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Reuters that reducing Russia's natural gas sales to Europe is the "most direct means" for the United States to pressure Russia and end the Ukraine-Russia conflict. He said that compared to sanctions against Russian oil, cutting its natural gas sales is easier, as gas transportation requires large specialized pipelines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and transport ships, making smuggling very difficult.

"Gas is easier," Wright added, saying that Russia has five pipelines to Europe and one to China. "If you reduce the natural gas sales through those five pipelines to Europe to zero, (Russia) won't get that revenue."

Reuters reported that so far, President Trump has not found a way to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Unlike his predecessor Biden, he has not imposed new direct sanctions on Russian oil and gas. Instead, Trump imposed high tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil, and only discussed related issues with China, another major buyer of Russian oil.

"China is fueling the Ukraine conflict, and we don't like it. We have been in dialogue with China," Wright said while slandering, adding, "I think you will see further deepening of the dialogue between the U.S. and China in the future."

Additionally, Wright claimed that Russia recently exported products from its heavily sanctioned Arctic LNG-2 project to China, which is a "sore spot" and has frustrated U.S. government officials. "We have imposed a lot of sanctions on Russia today. The question is... can we gain more benefits by increasing these sanctions?"

Previously, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jia Kun responded, stating that China has always maintained an objective and fair position on the Ukraine crisis, actively promoting peace talks. Most countries, including the U.S. and Europe, are conducting trade with Russia, and normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian companies comply with WTO rules and market principles, do not target third parties, and should not be interfered with or affected. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

Photo of U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright

Wright told Reuters that Russian oil flowing to India and Turkey is hard to track, which is a big problem. "We tried to stop India from buying Russian oil, but it's hard to do." He claimed that the U.S. government now needs to find "creative ways" to pressure Russia.

According to reports, Wright spent nearly a week in Europe this month. He said that one of his main tasks during his recent visit to Europe was to "sell" the EU - the U.S. export of liquefied natural gas can replace Russian gas. "Today we can fill this gap," he said.

On September 8 local time, the Financial Times reported that Wright had previously stated that if European countries want the U.S. to impose stricter sanctions on Russia, they must stop buying Russian oil and gas.

He claimed that this trade is funding Putin's "war machine." He believes that European countries should buy U.S. liquefied natural gas, gasoline, and other fossil fuel products to fulfill the terms of the U.S.-EU trade agreement. It is known that the agreement requires EU countries to purchase $75 billion worth of U.S. energy products by the end of 2028.

For some time, the EU has been under pressure from Trump, who has expressed hope that the EU will stop buying Russian energy.

Currently, the EU's 19th round of sanctions plan aims to gradually phase out Russian liquefied natural gas imports by early 2027, one year earlier than originally planned. EU member states are also negotiating a proposal to stop importing all Russian fossil fuels, including oil and pipeline gas, by 2028.

The Financial Times introduced that Wright has long advocated hydraulic fracturing technology (commonly known as "fracking," an oil and gas well production enhancement measure), and has been criticized by environmental organizations as a climate change denier. He claims that the EU's climate regulations and its movement toward net-zero emissions by 2050 pose a serious threat to the U.S.-EU trade agreement.

He also claimed that unless there are "massive adjustments," the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism, methane emission regulations, and corporate sustainability due diligence directives would bring "huge legal risks" to U.S. fossil fuel companies.

"If one party does not fulfill its obligations under the agreement, the entire trade negotiation will collapse... So I think these regulations seriously threaten the implementation of the trade agreement. The 2050 net-zero goal is a disaster... It will only bring huge poverty, and it is impossible to achieve," Wright claimed.

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