WASHINGTON –U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and John Hoeven (R-ND) today urged President Obama to use next week’s U.S.-European Union summit in Brussels to propose a joint U.S.-E.U. initiative on energy security to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s energy influence on Ukraine and other European nations. About 53 percent of Russian gas exports to Europe pass through Ukraine, and Europe depends on Russia for 30 percent of its natural gas.

This morning’s letter to the President is a follow to bipartisan efforts announced by the two Senators earlier in the week to respond to the crisis in Ukraine by expediting the U.S. review of natural gas export licenses, and providing targeted assistance to help Ukraine improve its current energy productivity while also developing its own domestic energy technology.