The president of the Russian Duma asks to cut gas to other “unfriendly countries”
The president of the State Duma or Chamber of Deputies of Russia, Viacheslav Volodin, welcomed the cut off of Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland and asked to extend the measure to “other unfriendly countries”.
“Gazprom has completely suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. It is a correct decision. State Duma deputies support it,” Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel.
He added that Bulgaria and Poland had the opportunity to “accept the proposal” of Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay for natural gas supplies in rubles.
“The leaders of those countries did not want it. Well, now they should explain to their citizens how they are going to get out of this situation and what interests they took into account when making that decision,” Volodin stressed.
Russia announces withdrawal from World Tourism Organization
Russia announced that it is withdrawing from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), although this decision does not paralyze the suspension procedure as a member that debates the institution this Wednesday in Madrid in an Extraordinary Assembly.
Russia’s exit would be effective one year after the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the pertinent letter communicating the decision, but the suspension, if finally approved, has immediate effect.
Turkey says still in talks with Russia on missile supply
Turkey stated that it is still in talks with Russia on the acquisition of a second batch of one of its most advanced missile defense systems, despite the war in Ukraine.
Ismail Demir, head of Turkey’s military procurement body, told state television that the contract signed in 2017 included two batteries of the Russian weapon. The first batch of the Russian S-400 missile system was delivered to Turkey in 2017.
“This was always a single project. We are not talking about a second project,” Demir said. “We continue to implement the same decision that we made from the beginning,” he added.
Poland denounces Russian “blackmail” with gas for its support of Ukraine in the war
Poland’s prime minister on Tuesday accused Russia of trying to “blackmail” his country with an abrupt suspension of its gas supplies, saying he believed the move was retaliation for recent Polish sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions announced yesterday by the government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki targeted some 50 Russian businessmen and companies, including Gazprom, the Russian state gas company.
Hours later, Poland said it received a communication from Gazprom that it was suspending gas shipments because Warsaw had not complied with a new Russian demand to pay for gas in rubles, Russia’s national currency, and not dollars.
Speaking before parliament, Prime Minister Morawiecki promised Poland would not be intimidated by the gas cut and said the eastern European country was safe thanks to years of efforts to get gas from sources other than Russia.
Australia confirmed shipment to Ukraine of artillery weapons and ammunition
Australia confirmed on Wednesday the shipment to Ukraine of six M777 Howitzer guns y ammunition to support the European country in its response to the invasion of RussiaAccording to the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
“This additional military aid will support Ukraine in its response to Russia’s brutal, relentless and illegal invasion.“, said in a joint statement Morrison and his head of Defense, Peter Dutton.
The weapons, sent to Ukraine in response to a request from Washington and kyiv after the Russian offensive in Donbas, are added to the armored trucks and lethal and defense material previously committed to the Ukrainian forces.
The Kremlin says gas will be cut off to more countries if they don’t pay in rubles
The Kremlin declared this Wednesday, after the cut of Russian gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, that shipments will also be interrupted for other countries if they do not accept the new payment mechanism in rubles.
“As the payment time approaches and if consumers reject the new payment system, the presidential decree will be implemented,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov said at his daily press conference.
Russia says it destroyed Western weapons depots in Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry said today that it destroyed a “huge amount” of weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine by the United States and European countries, during a bombardment in southeastern Ukraine.
The statement came a day after the United States and some 40 European, NATO, Asian and Oceanian countries promised to speed up the supply of more and better weapons to Ukraine to deal with the Russian invasion it has been facing for more than two months.
In a statement, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said Kalbir missiles fired from the sea hit several hangars with weapons and ammunition in an aluminum factory in the city of Zaporizhia.
Russia advances in its offensive in eastern Ukraine and conquers several locations
The Russian Army conquered several towns in eastern Ukraine as part of the offensive to take control of the region known as Donbass, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported today.
Russian forces seized Zarichne and Novotoshkivske in Donetsk province, one of the two that make up Donbass, along with Lugansk, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian army also evicted the Ukrainian from Velyka Komyshuvakha and Zavody, two towns in Kharkov province, which borders Donetsk and Lugansk to the west, the note added, the AFP news agency reported.
Zarichne is just 50 kilometers from the city of Kramatorsk, where dozens of people were killed weeks ago in a Russian attack on a train station.
Russia suspends gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria
Russia today opened a new front for the war in Ukraine by cutting gas shipments to two European Union (EU) countries that strongly support kyiv, in an escalation of a conflict that is increasingly becoming a confrontation with West.
A day after the United States and other Western countries promised to speed up arms supplies to Ukraine, the Kremlin upped the ante and turned to its most vital export, which Europe needs to keep its economy running.
European energy prices soared with the news, which the president of the EU Executive described as an attempt at “blackmail”.
The Pope called for “the cry of peace of humanity to be heard” and to stop the war in Ukraine
Pope Francis today asked those who have “the power to stop the war” to listen to the “cry for peace of all humanity” and put an end to the conflict that began more than two months ago with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Let the weapons be silent, so that those who have the power to stop the war hear the cry for peace of all humanity,” the pontiff demanded during the General Audience that he led this Wednesday in Plaza San Pedro.
During his catechesis, the Pope especially asked the Portuguese-speaking faithful to persevere “with the incessant prayer for peace.”
Even with visible difficulties in walking due to the pain in his right knee that he has had since the beginning of the year, the pontiff still held the meeting with thousands of faithful in Saint Peter’s Square, even after yesterday he suspended part of his agenda by advice medical.