In Brussels on Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged her audience to see crises as opportunities for positive change, particularly in rebuilding economies in a more environmentally friendly and energy efficient manner. She also criticized the use of energy as a political weapon, in response to concerns raised by Europe following warnings from Russia about potential gas export disruptions. Clinton emphasized the importance of taking advantage of global economic turmoil to address climate change and energy security issues. Europe is looking to the United States for support in international climate negotiations, with President Obama showing a stronger commitment to addressing climate change compared to his predecessor. Europe has set ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions, while Obama has proposed increasing renewable energy use and implementing a cap and trade system for CO2 emissions. However, with numerous countries facing a severe recession, there are doubts about whether businesses can gather the necessary funds to reduce carbon emissions. Clinton, during her first trip to Europe as secretary of state, criticized the United States for failing to meet its obligations. She believes that now is an opportune time to show a commitment to addressing this issue. Many politicians suggest that the economic crisis, energy security concerns, and climate change can all be addressed through a "New Green Deal," which would involve replacing high-carbon infrastructure with sustainable alternatives and creating job opportunities. Clinton emphasized the importance of addressing energy security and climate change together as interconnected issues. She criticized the manipulation of energy as a political tactic, expressing concerns similar to those of Europe following conflicts between Russia and Ukraine affecting EU energy supplies. She stated that using energy as a means of coercion is not conducive to an efficient energy system. Clinton is scheduled to have dinner with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva to work towards improving relations after a strained period during Bush's presidency. The recent reduction in Russian gas exports resulted in severe consequences such as the closure of facilities and households left without heating in Eastern Europe. A potential conflict between Ukraine and Russia was seemingly avoided on Thursday when Gazprom, a state-owned company, announced that Ukraine had resolved the payment issue that had caused the disagreement. However, European leaders were concerned by the threat of supply cuts from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.