Senior European officials have attacked President Biden’s actions amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and have even questioned whether the United States remains an ally as gasoline prices soar and US green energy policies have put Europeans into “full panic mode,” according to a report. .
European officials, speaking anonymously to Politico, accused the US of “profiting” from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and complained that green subsidies and taxes included in the Law on Reducing Inflation has deteriorated relations between the US and its European allies and partners.
“The fact is, if you look at it seriously, the country that is benefiting the most from this war is the United States because they are selling more gasoline and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,” a senior official told Politico.
“We are really at a historic juncture,” the official added, arguing that US policies have disrupted trade and that high gasoline prices are turning public opinion against aid to Ukraine. “The United States must realize that public opinion is changing in many EU countries.”
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President Biden speaks about the situation in Poland following a meeting with European and G7 leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 16, 2022.
(SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Among Europe’s complaints is that the electric vehicle tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act, a $369 billion spending and tax bill signed by Biden, is “protectionist” and “discriminatory” because it imposes competition unfair to foreign manufacturers.
“The Inflation Reduction Act is very worrying,” said Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher. “The potential impact on the European economy is very large.”
At the same time, Putin has cut off energy exports to the rest of Europe, prompting EU countries to buy fuel from the US at nearly four times the cost. These factors, combined with record inflation, the threat of recession and higher energy demand as winter approaches, have led European leaders to question whether the Biden administration is aware of the damage that the policies of the President.
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Flags of the European Union.
(Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The Americans, our friends, make decisions that have an economic impact for us,” the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, emphasized to Politico.
US officials have shifted the blame to Russia. “The rise in gasoline prices in Europe is caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s energy war against Europe, period,” a White House National Security Council spokesman told Politico.
The White House has also said that US energy exports are helping Europe, taking credit for shoring up energy supplies ahead of winter.
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People collect their belongings from a house damaged after Russian shelling in the city of Vyshgorod, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, November 24, 2022.
(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
“The surge in global LNG supplies, led by the United States, helped European allies and partners reach encouraging storage levels ahead of this winter, and we will continue to work with the EU, its members and other European countries to ensure sufficient supplies supplies will be available for the winter and beyond,” an NSC official told Fox News.
The White House insisted on Fox News that US policies have not undermined or contradicted President Biden’s promise to Europe that “America is back” as a trusted ally.
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But European officials aren’t so sure.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has changed everything,” an EU diplomat told Politico. “Is Washington still our ally or not?”
