The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky harshly criticized the Russian freeze on gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria. “This week, the Russian leadership began a new series of energy blackmail against Europeans,” Zelensky said in a video message late on Wednesday. The delivery stop is “another argument that no one in Europe can expect normal economic cooperation with Russia”.
gas “as a weapon”
“Russia considers not only gas, but also any other trade as a weapon.” For this, Moscow is just waiting for a favorable moment. “Or to politically blackmail the Europeans. Or to strengthen the Russian war machine, which sees a united Europe as its goal,” Zelensky said. The sooner Europe realizes that it cannot depend on Russia for trade, the sooner the stability of European markets will be guaranteed.
Zelensky praised a proposal by the EU Commission to temporarily exempt Ukrainian exports to the EU from import duties. “Russia is trying to provoke a world price crisis so that chaos can start in all basic markets, especially in the food market,” he said. However, Ukrainian exports can help stabilize markets. “So it benefits not just us, but all Europeans. Residents of all countries that could be affected by Russia’s destructive ambitions.”