When it comes to assisting its energy-pressed allies in Europe, Halback called for more solidarity from Washington:
"Some countries, including friendly ones, sometimes achieve astronomical prices [for their gas]. Of course, that brings with it problems that we have to talk about. The United States contacted us when oil prices shot up, and the national oil reserves in Europe were tapped as a result. I think such solidarity would also be good for curbing gas prices.The bloc is facing a tough winter, with gas shortages predicted due to drastically reduced Russian supplies amid Western sanctions and the recent sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
"The EU should pool its market power and orchestrate smart and synchronized purchasing behavior ... so that individual EU countries do not outbid each other and drive up world market prices."
The US likely stands to gain the most from the destruction of the two undersea pipelines, which were damaged by a series of explosions off the Danish island of Bornholm last week. Washington has for years been trying to convince European leaders to swap Russian gas for its liquefied natural gas, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling the sabotage of the Russian pipelines a "tremendous opportunity."
More importantly who owns Germany?