Updated on 03/30/2022 23:39
- The federal government is starting to take precautions against possible Russian gas delivery failures.
- Fighting in Ukraine continues.
- However, Russia is said to have withdrawn some of its troops and announced a ceasefire in Mariupol.
Because of the war in Ukraine and ongoing Russian threats, the federal government is preparing for a significant deterioration in gas supplies in Germany. Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) on Wednesday put the early warning stage into effect as the first of three crisis stages of the so-called gas emergency plan and called on all consumers to save gas. However, security of supply remains guaranteed.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in the evening about the matter. Russia’s continued fighting, even after negotiations progressed, was harshly criticized by Ukraine and the West. In the evening, the Kremlin announced a ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Scholz after conversation with Putin: gas is paid in euros or dollars
Scholz reiterated that Germany will continue to pay for gas supplies from Russia in euros or dollars, as provided for in the contracts. “It remains the case that the G7 agreement applies,” federal government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Wednesday night in Berlin. Putin explained in the phone call that a law will apply from April 1, according to which gas delivery must be paid in rubles.
However, nothing would change for the European contractual partners: payments would continue to be made exclusively in euros and, as usual, would be transferred to Gazprom Bank, which is not affected by the sanctions. The bank then converts the money into rubles. Scholz did not agree with this procedure, but only asked for written information about it, emphasized Hebestreit. Putin asked for the conversation.
The Kremlin had previously announced that the switch to ruble payments for Russian gas should not put Germany at a disadvantage. That sounded a little less menacing than last time. Putin said last week that payments in euros and dollars were no longer of value to the country. He wants to meet with representatives of Russian gas giant Gazprom and the central bank on Thursday to discuss how to proceed.
Read too: All current information about the war in Ukraine on the live ticker
De-escalation or “regrouping” of Russian troops?
Tuesday’s announcement by Russia that it would reduce some of its hostilities was met with skepticism. The Ukrainian general staff does not expect a large-scale withdrawal of Russian troops from areas close to the capital Kiev. Because of their losses, the enemy only “temporarily gave up the objective of blockading Kiev,” the general staff said. Instead, Russian troops regrouped and focused on attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia’s de-escalation signals “do not dampen Russian shell explosions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier. Russia attacked Ukraine nearly five weeks ago on February 24.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed a “regrouping” of its troops near the Ukrainian cities of Kiev and Chernihiv. A ministry spokesman said in Moscow that Russian soldiers carried out their main duties there. The purpose of the troop transfer is “above all, the completion of the operation to completely liberate Donbass”. According to the Kremlin, Russia is preparing for lengthy negotiations with Ukraine to end the war.
Ceasefire in Mariupol
According to Russia, it offered a ceasefire in Mariupol, in southern Ukraine, for the evacuation of civilians on Thursday. “Russia’s armed forces will declare a ceasefire on March 31 from 10 am (9 am CEST) – exclusively for humanitarian purposes,” Major General Mikhail Mizintsev said late on Wednesday, according to Interfax news agency. The Ukrainian side has until 6 am on Thursday (5 am CEST) to declare a ceasefire and inform Russia, the United Nations and the International Red Cross in writing. Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of sabotaging the flight of Mariupol residents.
Security guarantees for Ukraine and an attack on Moscow
According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Germany is ready to provide security guarantees for Ukraine after the end of the war. “If guarantees are needed, Germany will also be there and give guarantees,” said the Greens politician on the ARD program “Maischberger”. In the Istanbul peace talks, the Ukrainian delegation recently demanded strict security guarantees in exchange for possible neutral status. Baerbock stressed that the Russian government and its ads are unreliable at the moment, she said. If Russia wants to make it credible that the negotiations are serious, the bombing of the civilian population must stop immediately.
Lack of supply no, emergency plan yes
Economy Minister Habeck said that in order to be prepared for possible failures in Russian gas supplies, the ministry declared the early warning stage. According to the emergency plan, there are three crisis levels: early warning level, alert level and emergency level. Only in the emergency phase does the State intervene in the gas market. Domestic customers would then be particularly protected.
“There are currently no supply bottlenecks,” Habeck said. “However, we must increase precautionary measures to be prepared in the event of an escalation by Russia.” The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) has warned of “extreme economic consequences” in the event of an interruption in Russian gas supplies. The EU Commission emphasized that it was prepared for possible supply disruptions.
Four million refugees, half of them children
Before the war, more than 44 million people lived in Ukraine, and since then more than four million have fled in search of safety abroad. In addition, 6.5 million people had to leave their homes in Ukraine. According to Unicef, around two million children have fled Ukraine so far – another 2.5 million are fleeing within the country. This means that every second child is no longer in their previous home. A donors’ conference in Warsaw is expected to raise money for those in need next week. According to the Federal Police, more than 283,000 war refugees have arrived in Germany so far. (gray/dpa)
Updated on 03/30/2022 08:01
After negotiations, Russia announces that it will reduce combat operations. Ukraine and the West are not convinced. Thumbnail: photo ring