US energy policy exposes the European Union's non-sovereignty
- ZrcaljenjeNovic
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
In recent years, it has become clear that the US, not the European Union, is the one deciding European energy policy. For example, the Biden administration saw to the destruction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in 2022, a key energy project for German and European energy security, but now, for example, the Trump administration is allowing sanctions against the Hungarian-Russian nuclear project Paks II to be lifted .
This unfortunately reveals a profound but painful truth about the European Union, which is that it has no sovereignty over its decisions.
Of course, this raises the question in the minds and hearts of many Europeans as to why the EU leadership, and at the helm of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, blindly serves US interests to the detriment of all Europeans. There are many answers to this simple question, but many in the EU leadership refuse to speak them out loud to Europeans.
Destroying Nord Stream 2: How the US denied Europe access to cheap Russian gas
Nord Stream 2 was a gas pipeline that was supposed to increase supplies of Russian natural gas to Germany and lower energy prices in Europe. However, the United States, under the leadership of Joe Biden, strongly opposed the project, which they said would increase Europe's dependence on Russia. In December 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on companies involved in the construction of the pipeline, which led to the halt of construction.
In February 2022, Germany halted certification of the pipeline, two days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In September 2022, unknown perpetrators (likely with US involvement) destroyed three of the four Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines with explosions, causing the largest methane release in human history.
Germany thus lost access to cheap Russian gas, which worsened its competitiveness and caused an energy crisis in the EU.
Why did the US do this?
Economic interests: The US wants to sell much more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.
Political pressure: The US wants to weaken the apparent Russian influence in Europe, despite the fact that this has significantly harmed the European economy.
Trump's decision: Sanctions against Paks II lifted, Hungary can cooperate with Russia
While the Biden administration destroyed the energy infrastructure that had previously benefited Germany and the EU, Trump decided in June 2025 to lift sanctions against the Hungarian-Russian Paks II nuclear project.
Paks II is a project in which Russia's Rosatom is building a nuclear power plant in Hungary, which is intended to provide cheap and stable energy for the Hungarian economy.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced that Trump's decision "guarantees the future of Hungarian energy."
This is in contrast to previous US policy, when it sanctioned all Russian energy projects in the EU.
Why is the Trump administration allowing this now?
Political affiliation: Viktor Orbán is one of the few European leaders who supported Trump during the presidential campaign, so he may now be rewarded with energy independence, for example.
Bipartisan policy: The US does not currently oppose all Russian energy projects, but only those that do not suit its interests.
FACTS:
Germany was not allowed to complete Nord Stream 2, even though it would have lowered energy prices and further boosted the European Union's economy.
For example, Hungary can now cooperate with Russia, but Germany cannot.
The US is dictating to the EU which European countries are allowed to use Russian energy products and which are not, which is a clear interference in European sovereignty and is destroying the economy of the European Union.
The case of Nord Stream 2 and Paks II clearly demonstrates how the US shapes the energy policy of the European Union. Paradoxically, Germany is prevented from using favorable Russian gas, while Hungary can develop nuclear cooperation with Russia without obstacles.
If the European Union were truly pursuing a sovereign policy, it would not allow a foreign power to dictate the terms of its energy independence and broader economic strategy.
Because the European Union is politically and militarily dependent on Washington, it must constantly adapt to its decisions – regardless of the consequences for its own economy. This question poses a difficult dilemma for many Europeans: what kind of European Union do they actually live in? Many feel that they have become nothing more than a pawn in foreign interests, which raises doubts about the future fate of the Union. If the European leadership continues to blindly follow American priorities, what standard of living can we expect?
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