U.S. President Donald Trump will sign a memorandum with Ukraine on energy security that will reinforce Washington’s firm support for Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said on Nov. 12 during his visit to Ukraine.
Meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman in Kyiv, Perry announced that U.S. President Donald Trump would sign a Strategic Energy Dialogue that would “send a strong message that the Trump administration and the U.S are going to be strong allies and partners with Ukraine.”
“The president wanted me to come today and tell you that you can count on the United States,” Perry said.
Perry, who is on a four-country tour of Central and Eastern Europe, signed a similar memorandum between the United States and Poland on Nov. 9. After visiting Ukraine, the secretary will go on to visit Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Perry told Groysman that the United States continues to oppose the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines by Russia. Both pipelines are due to be commissioned at the end of 2019 and will deliver Russian gas to Germany, Turkey, and southern Europe, bypassing Ukraine and depriving it of at least $3 billion in transit fees.
“The reason is clear,” Perry said. “The citizens of Europe, the citizens of Ukraine in particular, should never be held hostage by a single source of energy.”
Perry also told Groysman that the United States is ready to help Ukraine with its reforms. In particular, he pointed to the unbundling, or separation of production and transportation functions of Naftogaz state oil and gas company, the liberalization of energy markets, and increasing transparency through opening access to geological data on all mineral deposits in the country.
Earlier on Nov. 10 Perry visited the Trypilska power plant in Kyiv Oblast, which uses anthracite coal imported from Pennsylvania. During a brief interaction with press he said that the Nord Stream 2 project could be potentially be halted, as few European countries support it and it’s not commercially viable.
“They (the Russians) may still go through with it, but we’re going to do everything that we can to give the European Union as many options as they can have,” Perry said.
“It’s not just about the U.S. selling liquefied natural gas to Europe.”
“We’re for the Trans-Adriatic pipeline that brings Caspian gas to southern Europe. There are a number of LNG terminals in Croatia and Romania that can deliver gas. Poland is developing that potential as well. Having multiple sources of supply is important for the future development of Europe.”
