The United States doesn't want its European allies to be hooked on Russian gas through the Nord Stream 2 project.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the Russian Federation is using gas pipelines to put political pressure on the people of Ukraine.

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"We all know the story in Russia. It invaded Ukraine to gain access to oil and gas reserves. It in turn deprived Ukraine of the possibility of developing those resources for itself and using its pipelines and its networks to bring energy to its own people. Rather, it uses those pipelines to put pressure – political pressure – on the people of Ukraine," Pompeo said at CERA Energy Week's "Reshaping the Energy Future" conference in Houston, Texas, on March 12, 2019.

"We don't want our European allies hooked on Russian gas through the Nord Stream 2 project any more than we ourselves want to depend on Venezuela for our oil supplies," he said.

"This need, this desperate need for diversification is why we exported more crude oil last year to countries all across the globe," Pompeo added.