The conflict in Ukraine reached unprecedented proportions this week. The moves began when more than 40 countries (including the US and Germany, the main buyer of Russian gas) announced a new round of financial and military donations to Kyiv: this time weapons with greater offensive power, such as tanks and armored vehicles, were sent. The Kremlin responded by threatening a nuclear response and the start of World War III. “We are at a very critical moment in the war,” summarizes Felipe Loureiro, coordinator of the International Relations program at USP. In an interview with Julia Duailibi, he also explains the advance of Putin’s army in Transnistria, a Russianmajority region seeking independence from Moldova, raising the risk of a “new front” in this war. Tensions between Russia and Europe further escalated with stateowned Gazprom’s announcement that it would halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, two countries that refused to pay for the contract in rubles, a Russian demand for economic sanctions. Loureiro reiterated that “Europe is dependent on Russian gas” and that the shortage of this energy source could trigger a global wave of food inflation. “Global food security could be alarming in the coming years.”
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Podcast The Subject is produced by: Mônica Mariotti, Isabel Seta, Tiago Aguiar, Gabriel de Campos, Luiz Felipe Silva, Thiago Kaczuroski, Gustavo Honório and Eto Osclighter. Presentation: Renata Lo Prete.