(Bloomberg) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the recent turbulence in European gas prices only underscores the need to transition to more sustainable forms of energy, and said he hoped Russia wouldn’t use its supplies as a weapon.

High energy prices “reinforce the need for a transition to new forms of energy, particularly sustainable energy, and at the same time they reinforce the need for energy diversification,” Blinken said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Paris on Wednesday. “But we need to do more and go further.”

Blinken said the world is in the middle of a lengthy transition to renewable energy and that “challenging, bumpy patches” were possible. But he argued that shouldn’t deter nations from going ahead with that shift to clean energy.

The secretary spoke after gas prices fluctuated wildly, surging 60% over just two days in Europe before sliding fast on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks that his country is ready to help stabilize global energy markets. Blinken said recent actions only further highlighted the need for countries to work together. 

“Russia has in the past used energy as a tool -- or some would say a weapon -- of its foreign policy,” Blinken said. “I hope that’s not what we’re going to see going forward, especially as we get to the winter.”

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