.NBCNews looks at why Russia is halting gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria and how significant it might be for the war in Ukraine and the West’s growing involvement in it.
it had halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for failing to pay for gas in rubles, something Putin had demanded last month in response to tough sanctions imposed by the West on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. European buyers condemned Putin’s demand, saying it violated existing contracts with payments usually agreed on in dollars or euros, and called into question Russia’s reliability as a supplier.to those who didn’t abide by Putin’s instructions.
A billboard reads "Nie karm Putina," which translates to "Do not feed Putin," in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday.Russia earlier this week angrily labeled this military aid akin to the West fighting a “proxy war” against it, warning of the dangers of World War III and nuclear conflict. It has also said it is striking batches of weapons and supplies in Ukraine from the air.“The Kremlin sees curtailment of gas supplies to Europe as a tool to break the consensus in the E.U.
Europe’s dependence on Russian energy has been a contentious debate topic, with Russian oil and gas continuing to pour into the continent and payments flowing back to Moscow, even as its bombs rained down on Ukraine. The U.S.on Russian energy imports last month, but some of its allies that rely heavily on Russia for energy, like Germany, have been reluctant to follow suit given the economic disruption it would cause.
denouncing Russia’s move as an attempt “to use gas as an instrument of blackmail.” She sought to reassure customers across the continent that the bloc has been preparing for such a scenario. “But I would say that for the moment, the idea that we can do it, we can put up with, it’s correct, not just propaganda,” he said.Shortly after Gazprom’s announcement Wednesday, Russia’s top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said the state-run company had made the right decision and that Moscow should do the same with other “unfriendly” countries, signaling the Kremlin might not stop at cutting off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.
Germany depends on Russia for about one-third of total energy consumption. The country announced its first delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine on Tuesday after weeks of pressure at home and abroad.Poland, the most vocally anti-Russian E.U. nation, has been a hub for Western weapons supplies and humanitarian aid flowing into neighboring Ukraine as well as millions of refugees racing out.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia Releases U.S. Marine Veteran Trevor Reed; European Gas Prices Surge After Supply StoppageRussia has halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria because they have refused Russia’s demand to pay for gas in rubles. Gas prices in the region are surging.
Read more »
U.K. bans exports on spy equipment sold to Russia used against UkraineBritain says it'll no longer allow technology to be exported to Russia that could be used to 'repress' the people of Ukraine.
Read more »
Russia seeks to reduce existing 'serious' risks of nuclear war - LavrovRussia stands for ruling out the threat of nuclear conflicts despite high risks at the moment and wants to reduce all chances of 'artificially' elevating those risks, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a television interview aired late on Monday.
Read more »
Opinion | US Secretary of Defense Admits the Real Strategic Goal in Ukraine: Quagmire for RussiaThe strategic goal of \u0022weakening Russia\u0022 is playing with fire—even nuclear fire—and to allow the war to go on indefinitely, or to escalate, at the expense of the Ukrainian people is cruel, dangerous, and unacceptable.
Read more »
What If I Told You Russia, Not America, Invaded Ukraine?.jonathanchait writes on the bizarre alternative reality that anti-anti-Russians have arrived at after years of delusional thinking
Read more »