The move could help avoid a trade war and weaken Moscow’s war machine, Latvia’s foreign minister tells POLITICO.
RIGA — Latvia is keen to secure more U.S. gas in an effort to appease Donald Trump — an endorsement of the EU’s emerging strategy to prevent a trade war with the new U.S. president.
“We are interested in strengthening energy cooperation with our strategic partner, the United States, including increasing [liquefied natural gas] imports,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže told POLITICO in an interview.
Trump has been demanding that the EU buy more U.S. fossil fuel or face stiff tariffs. On Sunday, he ratcheted up his threats, vowing to move forward with 25 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminum.
But some EU countries have expressed skepticism about upping LNG imports to mollify Trump. Germany said it would be practically difficult to buy more U.S. gas given already high consumption, while Finland argued the move would jeopardize the EU’s climate goals.
Latvia, however, is backing the idea, linking it to the country’s long-standing desire to fully end the EU’s Russia energy imports.The Baltic nation — which only gained independence from Moscow in 1991 after decades of occupation — has not purchased gas from Russia for the past two years, and has signed deals with neighboring Lithuania and Finland to bring in more seaborne LNG, more than a third of which already comes from America.
“It is crucial for Latvia that EU-level support for energy independence continues,” Braže said.
The EU, Braže argued, also can’t afford the alternative — strident Trump tariffs. Those penalties, she said, « would negatively impact both sides, hinder growth, and potentially harm the overall economy, affecting defense spending and other critical areas. »
Braže returned this week from Washington, D.C., where she met with Trump’s political allies, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee. She expressed optimism that the new U.S. administration could help end the war in Ukraine.
« We fully agree with President Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ approach, » she said, calling for « stronger sanctions from “the U.S., EU, U.K. and other peace-minded countries.”
For now, though, « there is no indication Russia is seeking peace or is serious about negotiations with Ukraine,” she said. “Thus, Russia has to be forced to peace. A weak Russia is the best security guarantee for the entire Euro-Atlantic community. »
