The UK has joined urgent talks with European Union member states over a possible diesel crisis. According to The Times, the aim is to prevent fuel market disruption in the wake of Washington’s ultimatum, but the parties have so far failed to reach agreement.
Sources cited by the newspaper said European countries are not willing to quickly yield to pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump. Officials in Brussels are concerned that if strategic diesel reserves are used while Yemen’s Houthis effectively close the Red Sea to supplies from Saudi Arabia, Europe could face serious difficulties.
At the same time, another source told the paper that several European countries are still prepared to sit down for negotiations with the United States. A UK government source described Washington’s actions as “an overt negotiating tactic.”
The source warned that if Europe accepts US demands and Red Sea deliveries are then disrupted, the result could be an acute fuel shortage. Strategic reserves, the source said, are meant to serve as a buffer in the event of supply interruptions, not as a tool to lower fuel prices.
After imports of Russian oil products were banned because of the conflict around Ukraine, Europe became more dependent on fuel supplies from the US. The Times said the UK is especially vulnerable: its diesel stocks are enough for only 40 days, while a quarter of supplies come from the United States.
