Texas’ struggles dealing with a record cold snap and widespread power outages are providing ready propaganda fodder for America’s rivals.
Russian officials, angry over U.S. opposition to the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline project with Germany, said Thursday Washington should take care of its own energy problems before trying to lecture other countries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow Thursday that the nearly completed Nord Stream project “has absolutely nothing to do with the energy supply of the United States,” according to a new report by the Interfax news service.
“It makes sense for our American partners to be less interested in Nord Stream 2 and more interested in Texas’ heat and energy supply,” Mr. Peskov argued.
China’s tightly controlled state press has featured heavy coverage and editorializing on the crisis in Texas, interviewing Chinese nationals who living in the Lone Star State and struggling to stay warm. Much of the reporting focuses on the quality of the energy infrastructure in the United States and the failure of political leaders to deal with the problem.
Citing “observers and experts,” the state-run Global Times reported Thursday the problems in Texas and other states were “the result of a confluence of inherent problems for the country’s backward power supply infrastructure, including outdated generators and transmission lines and lack of regulation and national coordination.”
“While the harsh weather conditions were the direct cause, those issues are long-standing and prevalent, as the U.S. has one of the most blackouts among developed countries,” the news website added.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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