Wednesday, December 18, 2024

David Cameron calls on Europe to turn off Russian gas to save Ukraine

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The bloc was responsible for importing up to half of Moscow’s LNG with Spain and France being the second and third largest buyers behind China.

Brussels has pledged to end its use of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, and has introduced sanctions against imports of oil and coal.

But it has been unable to agree on a plan to introduce punitive measures against gas exports from Moscow because of member state opposition.

The European Commission has drawn up plans to ban EU ports from reselling Russian LNG as part of a 14th package of sanctions.

The move would come as a serious blow to Russia because European ports act as a convenient layover. Without them, Moscow would have to use icebreaker vessels to cut new shipping routes through the Arctic ice to get to Asia.

Lord Cameron also confirmed that Britain would hand Ukraine at least £3 billion in military support “next year and every year in the future for as long as it takes until Putin is defeated”.

Rebuild after the war

He said Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, would set out plans for the UK’s next donation to rebuild Ukraine after the war at a meeting of G7 leaders at the weekend.

And in a warning to allies not willing to follow suit, he added: We’re here with a lot of numbers being thrown about… I just tell you this one thing, the numbers we are talking about compared to the number we would have to invest if Ukraine isn’t successful.

“What you spend now we will save later and will see a successful Ukraine as a result.”

Ukraine used the two-day conference in Berlin to plead for more air defence systems to defend against Russians attacks that are crippling the country’s energy sector.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukraine president, said Russia had destroyed or captured more than half of Ukraine’s power generation.

“Once Russia’s ability to terrorise its neighbours is limited, Russia will finally be forced to seek a path to real peace,”he said.

“It’s because this is Putin’s key advantage – missile strikes, guided aerial bombs, attack drones. Together we must ensure the blackout of Russian terror in order to bring out of the blackout the possibility of real peace.”

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