[Skybird]

The Us has very strong own financial interests to sell its own gas with itw frakcing industry seriuously struggling and in parts already collapsing, 20 bancruptcies in one years speak volumes.

The Europpean posiiton is quite clear, and I repeat: the European position. The Americna claims are rated both in Berlin and in brussel as violation of internaiton law. With the ecpetion of Poland and the Baltic states, EU members have given their green light to Germany.

The Poles are angry because Germany counters Polands own project of using the EU pipeline grid project of "Baltic Pipe" for transporting Norwegian gas via pipe from Denmark to Poland, so that then Poland could enjoy transit fees and control over the gas when it gets distrubuted further into Europe. It puts Poland into a storng position against Brussels (nice opporutnity for the US to practice divide et impera). The idea of the Polish and American planners was and still is to enlarge this grid with terminals for US gas tankers landing their gas in danish terminals where it then gets processed and fed into Baltic Pipe'S pipelines, and to Poland.

The US does not tell the full story. They have all their own horses in the race. That they are oh so concerned for European security, is just a strawman argument.

economically, the American offers never were competitive. The gas they hope to deliver additionally, is from frackign and thus is heavily intoxicated with chemicals of which it must be purified bewfore further processed. This additional work needed to the already additional energetic expenses to cool the gas down so that it is liquid and actually can be transported via ship. ecologically, American liquid gas via ship is a very bad thing. The quality is also bad, compared to Russian or Norwegian gas, but the Norwegians are set to shut down their business in the Northsea in 2050. End of 2019, US price demands for their gas laid 30-40% over world market averages. So their offer is not only for bad quality , but it is hopelessly overpriced as well. Which explains why their additional selling desires are met with zero interest amongst possible European customers. We just tried, and failed to find any demand. There is none.

Thats why the US has chosen to play the bullying card. Selling by force, so to speak.

Problem is: Brussels and Berlin have learned some important lessons in the past four years. The US is not being trusted anymore. Also, the EUropean energy mix has been diversified more than the Us likes to talk about. Russian gas losses can cause problems - but they cannot gag down supply security and existentially threaten Europe anymore, even more with renewables slowly but constantly growing in share.

Its worth noting that the US accuses the Russians

- of economic blackmailing that Russia has not done to Western Europe in the past even at the height of the cold war: they have always honoured their trade agreements,

- while Washington itself already practically acts the way it accuses the Russians of wanting to do in the future. All the blackmailing and threatening and intimidating that the Rssians are accused of for doing in the future - the US already carries ou right now.

Legal experts of the EU as well as the German Bundestag have rated the US behaviour as violation of international law.

If Washington wnats the Ukraine to get money, they can send dollars instead of expecting us to pay Euros for them.

And Poland pisses Germany at every opportunity and plays the Nazi card several times per year, it takes more money from the EU (and Germany) then the next 3 net receivers alltogether. So why would I care for the, quite the oppopsite: I rather prefer us to be able to put the thumb on the pipe flow, than them.

Finally it is to be said that in Europe giovenrment have started to relaise that the Ameeicna focus has started to shift away from Eruope already longer time agao, already under Clinton. Obama also has an amazoin lack of deeper interest into Europe. The focus moves towards China, and that means Europe becomes less relevant fo Washington.