UA Today: America calls on eastern Europe to end Russian energy dependence

US energy envoy Amos J. Hochstein has urged southeast European states to build new gas links and focus on smaller projects rather than blockbuster pipeline deals to curb reliance on supplies from Russia.

States in the region such as Hungary, Serbia and Croatia are looking to boost energy security following the collapse of the Kremlin-backed South Stream gas project that would have carried Russian gas through a pipeline bypassing Ukraine.

"I just want to remind people it actually doesn't exist, there is no pipe that actually goes from Russia into Thrace... And I know that there are discussions about it and it's not for me to decide and not for any of us to decide whether Russia and Turkey decide to do that. But it's hard for me to understand the difference between Turkish Stream and South Stream outside of the name and a slight deviation of the route."

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