The EU needs to create an energy union if it wants to deal with energy independence from Russia, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday.

In Tusk's opinion, Ukrainian developments make "energy independence" of the whole continent "go far beyond its economic aspects."

Tusk was quoted by Germany's Die Welt as saying that a union would force "[gas] suppliers, especially those having a monopoly, to face a single buyer," thus increasing efficiency.

Poland's Prime Minister also expressed his belief that the EU must "open to new suppliers", the US included.

He was quoted by the EUObserver as saying that efforts in that direction were pursued "both on the diplomatic front and on an expert level".

Poland imports gas from Russia, but uses domestically-produced coal for most of its energy needs and is poised to use its vast shale gas reserves.

The country was on the lead of the EU's diplomatic approach to Ukraine in the days of street unrest across the country. It recently voiced criticism over Germany's "excessive dependence" on Russian gas.

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