The president of Ukraine said Russia will look to strike a “decisive energy blow” this winter. President of Ukraine, Flickr.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Europe of the upcoming winter as Russia cuts oil and gas exports.
Zelenskyy was speaking after Russia shut down one of the main pipelines supplying gas to the continent indefinitely.
“Russia is preparing a decisive energy blow on all Europeans for this winter,” he said during his daily video address.
Gas prices in Europe have risen by nearly 400 per cent since the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has said sanctions imposed by western nations over its invasion of Ukraine and technical issues are the reasons for energy disruptions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “Russia is no longer a reliable energy partner” at a news conference in Berlin.
Russia has been accused of weaponizing energy supplies by the European countries backing Ukraine.
The energy ministers of those countries are set to meet on September 9 to discuss options in the face of the surging energy prices.
Last week Moscow said its main gas channel to Germany, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, will be kept closed.
G7 countries announced there is a planned price cap on Russian oil exports, with the Kremlin saying it will cease to sell oil to any countries that implement that cap.
Meanwhile, the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has again lost power, UN inspectors said on Saturday.
The nuclear plant in southern Ukraine has become a focal point of the conflict after it was occupied by Russian troops shortly after the army crossed the border in February.
The shelling in the vicinity which both sides blame on the other, has raised fears of a nuclear disaster occurring.
Ukraine and allies have accused Russia of storing heavy weapons there to discourage Ukraine from firing on it.
Russia denies having such weapons there and resisted international urging to relocate its troops and demilitarise the area.
Last week, Ukraine began its counteroffensive targeting the south, particularly in the Kherson region, that was taken by Russia early in the war.
