Russia halts gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria as tensions with the West rise

Gas supplies from Russia to Poland and Bulgaria were halted on Wednesday morning after the countries rejected Moscow’s demand to pay for gas supplies in rubles.

Russia’s state gas giant gazprom it had contacted the Polish and Bulgarian state gas companies on Tuesday to tell them their supplies would stop on Wednesday. Poland said its supplies were cut off today, while the situation in Bulgaria is more uncertain.

Poland’s state oil and gas company PGNiG said it had been informed by Russia’s gas giant Gazprom on Tuesday that it would stop gas supplies being delivered through the Yamal pipeline on Wednesday morning.

PGNiG said in a statement Tuesday that the company is monitoring the situation “and is prepared for various scenarios” and to receive gas from other sources, but said it currently has enough gas in storage and is meeting demand.

The disruption of gas supplies to Poland, which imports around 45% of its natural gas from Russia, according to recent EU data, is another sign of heightened tensions between Russia and the West following the invasion of Ukraine. An official in kyiv described Russia’s latest move to cut off supplies as “gas blackmail”.

Bulgaria imported nearly 73% of its natural gas from Russia in 2020, EU data shows.

Russia had demanded that countries importing its gas – the EU as a bloc imports about 40% of its natural gas from Russia each year – must pay in rubles, prompting a backlash from importers including Poland and Bulgaria, which they refused, saying the lawsuit is a breach of contract.

— holly ellyatt

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes the Russians are feeling the pinch of multiple rounds of coordinated global sanctions over the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

“I think what we’re seeing is that people in Russia are increasingly feeling the effects of Putin’s disastrous decision to attack Ukraine,” Blinken said during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“For example, more than 600 companies have left Russia, including many of the major consumer brands that we all know and are familiar with,” he said, adding: “They can’t buy the things they used to buy for the last few years. almost 30 years.”

The nation’s top diplomat said the gains of the past 20 years are being erased and Moscow’s ability to modernize key sectors of its economy is slowing. Despite all that, Blinken said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin still has strong support from his citizens, largely due to disinformation campaigns.

“For now, I think what we are seeing is that the Russians, as far as they are aware, continue to support President Putin for the most part,” Blinken added.

In the weeks since Russia’s invasion of its former Soviet neighbor, Washington and its allies have imposed rounds of coordinated sanctions that push Russia beyond Iran and North Korea. as the most sanctioned country in the world.

— Amanda Macias

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers that the United States will send its diplomats back to Ukraine this week.

The nation’s top diplomat added that the State Department is also working on plans to reopen its embassy in kyiv.

“We will send diplomats back to Ukraine this week and they will begin to assess how we can reopen the embassy in kyiv in the most effective and safe way. And without going into too much detail in this context, I anticipate that we will be in Lviv and then heading to kyiv subject to the president’s final decision,” Blinken said during his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“We want our embassy to reopen and we are working to do so,” he added.

On Monday, President Joe Biden announced his plan to nominate Bridget Brink as US ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, a career diplomat, is currently the US ambassador to the Slovak Republic.

— Amanda Macias

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called Russia’s recent rhetoric about the potential use of its nuclear weapons “very dangerous and pointless.”

“No one wants to see a nuclear war that no one can win. And as we do things, we’re always mindful of making sure we have the right balance and we’re taking the right approach,” Austin told reporters at a news conference. at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

“There is always the possibility of various things happening, but again, I think it’s useless and dangerous to shake sabers and speculate about the use of nuclear weapons,” Austin said, after a trip to the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, along with Secretary of State Antony. to blink

Austin’s comments come after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that his country’s war with Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear war.

Lavrov said Monday night that the risks of nuclear war now are “very, very significant and should not be underestimated.”

— Amanda Macias