A national defense measure passed in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to promote energy trade in Europe as a means to contain Russia. The National Defense Authorization Act for the current fiscal year passed out of the House, largely with the support of Republican leadership in the chamber. Seventy members of the full house voted against it. On energy security, the measure said U.S. efforts should promote energy security in Europe, stating Russia uses energy “as a weapon to coerce, intimidate and influence” countries in the region. European natural gas production is on the decline, leaving the broader energy market vulnerable to export markets. Russia is the largest gas exporter to Europe and most of that gas runs through Soviet-era […]