The United States has condemned, what it called, Russia's efforts to use energy as a tool of coercion against Ukraine. The spokeswoman for the US State Department, Jen Psaki said the price now Ukraine has to pay Russia for its gas following recent price hikes was clearly not set by market forces, and that Washington was working with Ukraine to provide financing and help it find enough gas. There are fears that current tensions between Russia and Ukraine could trigger gas shortages in Europe, as pipelines transiting Ukraine deliver Russian gas to several EU countries.