Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel expressed support for former President Donald Trump’s position on Russian energy during a Tuesday interview with CNN International, acknowledging that continued reliance on Russian fossil fuels indirectly finances the war in Ukraine. Van Weel emphasized the need for both the United States and Europe to accelerate their transition away from Russian oil and gas.
Speaking on The Brief, van Weel said the United States has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions, crediting increased natural gas use and a decline in oil dependency. “[W]e see in the U.S., also, emissions have gone down in recent years,” he said. “With the use of more gas, less oil, I think that the U.S. is actually, in effect, contributing to combating climate change.”
The Dutch diplomat then turned to energy geopolitics, noting that President Trump made a valid point regarding the global purchase of Russian energy. “He is fair to say that we can’t keep funding the war against Ukraine, and, in the end, against us, by buying Russian fossil fuels,” van Weel stated. “We need to wean ourselves off that.”
He pointed to progress in Europe over the past two years in cutting energy ties with Moscow, but conceded that more work remains. “We’ll have to deliver on that point,” he added, urging Western nations to remain united in applying economic pressure on the Kremlin.
Van Weel also highlighted the importance of American leadership in pressuring Russia, stating that U.S. influence remains “indispensable” to forcing a resolution. His remarks align with a growing recognition among European leaders that long-term security requires energy independence, particularly from regimes hostile to Western values.
While some EU countries have struggled to balance energy needs with sanctions enforcement, van Weel’s comments represent a notable acknowledgment of Trump’s longstanding warnings about energy dependency and its geopolitical consequences.
