EU nations accuse Russia of using natural gas as ‘blackmail’
ITV News Correspondent Rebecca Barry reports after Russia cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, in a move described as 'blackmail' by the EU.
Polish and Bulgarian leaders have accused Moscow of using natural gas to blackmail their countries after Russia’s state-controlled energy company stopped supplying them with gas on Wednesday.
European Union leaders echoed those comments and were holding an emergency meeting on the Russian move.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Poland’s parliament that he thinks the suspension was revenge for new sanctions against Russia that Warsaw imposed over the war in Ukraine.
Following Gazprom's decision on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin told his parliament that Russia's goals in Ukraine will be "unconditionally fulfilled".Gazprom has said neither Poland or Bulgaria have paid for gas deliveries since April 1, and as a result, they would be suspending shipments to them from Wednesday.
It warned that if they siphon gas intended for other European customers, the deliveries to Europe will be reduced to that amount.
European gas prices have spiked by around 24% following the announcement from the Russian provider.
The fallout follows President Vladimir Putin’s order to switch to rubles in payments for the Russian gas supplied to Europe.
It's widely believed this move is in response to the western sanctions that have frozen Russian assets and left the country economically cut off from the West.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has warned that other European customers may see the taps turned off if they refuse to pay for gas in rubles.
He also rejected the EU’s description of the Russian move to halt supplies to Bulgaria and Poland as blackmail, insisting that “Russia has remained a reliable supplier of energy resources” and stuck to its contractual obligations.Poland's climate minister has given assurances that the country has plenty of natural gas on reserve and that Polish residents won't be cut off.
Anna Moskwa tweeted: “Poland has the necessary gas reserves and sources of supply that protect our security - we have been effectively independent from Russia for years.
"Our warehouses are 76% full. There will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes.”
Bulgaria gets more 90% of its gas from Russia, and officials said they were working to find other sources, such as from Azerbaijan.
The targeted nations could eventually be forced to ration gas, while another blow would be dealt to economies suffering from rising prices.
However, it could also deprive Russia of badly needed income to fund its war effort.
Both countries had refused Russia’s demands that they pay in rubles, as have almost all of Russia's gas customers in Europe.
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Following Russia's move to cease supplying Poland and Bulgaria with gas, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss argued in a major speech that Western allies need to impose even tougher economic sanctions to increase Russia’s isolation, including cutting off oil and gas imports “once and for all”.
In an address in the City of London, she said: “There must be nowhere for Putin to go to fund this appalling war. We cannot be complacent – the fate of Ukraine remains in the balance."
The foreign minister also argued that countries need to "double down" on sending armaments and heavy weapons to Ukraine.
ITV News Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo offers insight on how likely it is the UK will supply warplanes to Ukraine's capital Kyiv.
For the second day on Tuesday, explosions rocked the separatist region of Trans-Dniester in neighbouring Moldova.
Two powerful radio antennas were knocked out and a Russian missile hit a strategic railroad bridge linking Ukraine’s Odesa port region to neighbouring Romania, a NATO member, Ukrainian authorities said.
Just across the border in Russia, an ammunition depot in the Belgorod region was burning early on Wednesday after several explosions were heard, the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on the messaging app Telegram.
Earlier this month, Russia said two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil reservoir in the same region, causing a fire.
The US defence chief on Tuesday urged Ukraine's allies to “move at the speed of war” to get more and heavier weapons to Kyiv as Russian forces rained fire on eastern and southern Ukraine amid new fears the fighting could spill over the country’s borders.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting Tuesday of officials from about 40 countries at the US air base at Ramstein, Germany, and said more help is on the way.