Tehran, IRNA - European officials say Washington is making a fortune from the war in Ukraine by selling more gas and weapons to Europe at exorbitant prices, according to a report in the US political news website Politico.
“The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the US because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,” one senior European official was quoted as saying by Politico on Friday.
The official said that European industry has been suffering because of US trade subsidies following the war in Ukraine, adding that the public opinion in Europe had already started to shift against the European governments and their alliance with the US.
They also say that US is urging European capitals to reduce their reliance on Russian gas while supplying gas to Europe at prices that are four times higher than prices charged for American customers.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that prices charged by the US for its gas supply to Europe are not “friendly” while Germany’s economy minister has called on Washington to reduce energy costs.
Europe has also increased its orders for American-made weapons after European armies run short after supplying weapons to Ukraine.
European Union’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell also agrees that Europeans are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of US policies on European economies.
“Americans - our friends - take decisions which have an economic impact on us,” he told Politico.
However, US officials rejected the complaints raised by European officials with a spokesperson of the National Security Council in Washington saying that US exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe “increased dramatically and enabled Europe to diversify away from Russia.”
“The rise in gas prices in Europe is caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin's energy war against Europe, period,” said the NSC spokesperson.
