Stop relying on Russia, Ukraine warns Europe after gas shutoff

Stop relying on Russia, Ukraine warns Europe after gas shutoff

Europe should stop depending on Russia for trade after Moscow halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for not paying in roubles, Ukraine said, as the shutoff exposed the continent’s weaknesses and divisions on Wednesday.

The decision, denounced by European leaders as "blackmail", comes as Russia’s own economy wilts under sanctions and Western countries are sending more arms to Kyiv despite warnings from the Kremlin to back off.

Gazprom, Russia’s gas export monopoly, suspended gas supplies "due to absence of payments in roubles", as stipulated in a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin that aims to soften the impact of sanctions.

"The sooner everyone in Europe recognises that they cannot depend on Russia for trade, the sooner it will be possible to guarantee stability in European markets," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Wednesday.

While the president of the European Commission said Gazprom’s move was "yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail", EU member state ambassadors asked the executive for clearer guidance on whether sending euros breached sanctions.

France will host a meeting of EU energy ministers on May 2 to discuss how to deal with Russia’s move.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia remained a reliable