European countries agree on ‘assertive’ response to US pressure on diesel

BRUSSELS — Five European countries agreed at an emergency meeting Thursday to respond with “one voice” to growing pressure from the U.S. government to release reserves of diesel, according to people familiar with the matter.

France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Ireland and the European Commission joined the talks to decide how to respond to pressure from Washington to draw down oil stockpiles or face a ban on U.S. exports of diesel, three European officials told POLITICO.

All these countries have been privately pressured by the U.S. to draw down oil stockpiles or face a ban on U.S. exports of diesel, two of the people said.

The countries, along with the EU’s executive arm, agreed three things, according to the people: to react to the pressure with a “coordinated voice,” to make sure that “every decision about releasing stocks should be elevated to the IEA [International Energy Agency] level,” and to seek to “decrease the tension when speaking to the U.S.”

The Paris-based IEA coordinates energy policy among rich countries, and oversaw a release of oil stocks earlier this year following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The idea is to “de-escalate,” one of the people said. “To be sort of assertive but positive in the communication … When you’re dealing with the hungry lion, you do not necessarily play dirty games with him.”

A wider pool of countries, some of which have also faced pressure from the Trump administration, will discuss how to respond in a meeting on Friday, the person added.

POLITICO reported earlier that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was asking for oil releases as an alternative to imposing a ban on exports, on which the EU is heavily dependent. Diesel prices are soaring in the U.S. as a result of the wars in Ukraine and Iran, heaping pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump to bring down prices ahead of critical mid-term elections.

The president has refused to rule out an export ban despite vociferous opposition from the U.S. oil sector. “I’m thinking about it,” Trump said of the export ban at an Oval Office event. “I speak to [Energy Secretary] Chris [Wright] and [Interior Secretary] Doug [Burgum] about it a lot — they sort of think it’ll help diesel, but it might raise the price of other things.”