Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin warns intervening countries to react ‘lightningly fast’ – as EU considers gas cutting as ‘blackmail’ | World News
Vladimir Putin has warned that any threats by countries to intervene in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be met with a “lightning-fast” response.
In a speech to the Council of Legislators in St Petersburg, Russian leader said “all goals will certainly be realized” in the Ukraine war.
“If someone has any intention of interfering in what is going on from the outside, they must know that it constitutes an unacceptable strategic threat to Russia,” he said.
“They must know that our response to counterattacks will be lightning fast.”
Russia says it wants to reduce risk of nuclear war ‘significantly’ – Ukraine News Live
He said what he called a “special military operation” in Ukraine would “ensure the safety” of people in the Donbas and Crimea.
He also had warnings for the West, saying the plan to “strangle us economically has failed” – adding that any country that tried to intervene in the conflict would face with “quick” retaliation.
Previously, Russia had imposed sanctions on more than 200 British and former MPs.
Main developments
- Russia cuts natural gas to two NATO countries
- European countries accuse Russia of “extorting” natural gas
- Moldova warns attacks in Russia-backed breakaway region an attempt to escalate tensions
- Commander Mariupol calls for Dunkirk-style evacuation
- Russia withdraws from UN tourism organization
The situation of the 63rd day of the war in Ukraine
EU considers gas cuts ‘blackmail’
While, Russia stopped supplying gas to Bulgaria and Poland today through the Yamal-Europe pipeline for refusing to request payment in rubles.
It is the toughest retaliation to date to international sanctions over the war, and comes as European countries join the United States in ramping up arms shipments to help Ukraine fend off an invasion. Russia’s new offensive in the east.
The gas cuts will not immediately put the two countries in significant trouble as they have been searching for alternative sources for several years and the continent is entering summer, making gas less essential to households. family.
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Analysis: Who buys Russian gas?
Previously, gas payments from Bulgaria and Poland were made in euros. Although Russia has now requested that they be made in rubles, both countries refused and they have now been cut.
Although gas prices have increased, they have not increased as much as expected – as Poland’s gas reserves are higher than in a normal year and new pipelines also reduce dependence on Russian oil.
EU head Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said Gazprom’s decision to stop gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland was “another provocation from the Kremlin” and an “attempt to blackmail” European counties. Europe by gas.
The EU has announced a plan to cut Russia’s gas imports by two-thirds within a year with the longer-term goal of ending Russian energy imports – currently delivering 800 million euros a day to Moscow – by year 2030.
Read more: Putin is ‘Satan in human form’, says priest, as firefighters lose battle to save Kharkiv
On Tuesday, Moscow says it is at effective war with NATO – warns that Western weapons are fueling the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the continuous delivery of supplies and weapons to Ukraine means that the NATO alliance has positioned itself as “essentially going to war with Russia” and accused the organization ” pour fuel on the fire”.
The diplomat also warned against provoking a third world war and said the threat of a nuclear conflict “should not be underestimated”.
Fighting continues in the east
On the ground, fighting continues in eastern Ukraine along a mostly static frontline about 480 kilometers long.
Moscow claimed that Russian missiles hit an arsenal containing weapons of the US and European countries.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its Kalibr missiles destroyed the hangars in the Zaporizhzhia region, which contained “a large batch of foreign weapons and ammunition supplied to the Ukrainian army by the United States and European countries.” “.
An ammunition depot in the Belgorod region, just across Russia’s border, caught fire early Wednesday morning after several explosions were heard, the governor said.
Explosions were also reported in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine, as well as in Russia’s Voronezh region, with authorities saying an air defense system shot down a drone.
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Earlier this week, an oil depot in the Russian city of Bryansk was engulfed in flames.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak alluded to the country’s involvement in the fires, saying in a Telegram post that “karma[is]a harsh thing”.
Russia has released former Marine Trevor Reed in a prisoner exchange with the US, his family and officials said, according to another report.
“Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States,” his parents, Joey and Paula, and his sister, Taylor, said in a statement. declare.
They added that Mr. Reed, 30 years old, will “tell his own story” when he’s ready before asking for privacy to deal with “the multitude of health problems caused by the abysmal conditions he suffered during his Russian drunkenness.” “.
