Berlin and Paris: Diesel Pledge to Trump Needs No New Approval
Berlin and Paris say their diesel pledge to the US requires no fresh approval. France is weighing a release of oil and diesel reserves after pressure from Washington.
Germany and France indicate that a commitment made to the Trump administration over diesel reserves does not require a new approval. This follows from the headline and accompanying summaries of a Politico Europe piece.
Paris proposal
France is considering releasing oil and diesel reserves after pressure from the United States. Paris reportedly proposed putting 100 million barrels of crude oil and diesel on the market. There is no official confirmation of that figure yet. Germany, for its part, does not yet want to give in to Washington's demands.
Crisis meeting
European countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, held a crisis meeting on Thursday to respond to the Trump administration's demands for a release of diesel stockpiles. They agreed on a "decisive" response.
The US offer
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright approached several EU states, Germany among them, with a choice: tap their diesel reserves or risk a US ban on diesel exports.
As recently as 29 September, Irish Energy Minister Darragh O'Brien said that, according to his information, Washington had "no ambitions in that direction." The EU was then confident that Trump would abandon the plan to halt diesel exports.
The source material is a brief overview, so further details on the content and conditions of the pledge are not provided.
