The European Union plans to significantly increase the purchase of Russian natural gas through countries that are ready to pay for the commodity in rubles, TASS news agency reported on Wednesday citing a government source in Brussels. “An emergency meeting of the Gas Coordinating Group took place today in view …
Read More »Russia closes consulates of three NATO countries
The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the “unfriendly actions” of the three Baltic states on Thursday, by closing their consulates and declaring their staff ‘personae non grata’. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had previously announced their decision to close their Russian consulates. The ministry summoned top representatives of the diplomatic missions …
Read More »More countries agree to ruble payments for gas – Russian deputy PM
Several buyers of Russian natural gas have agreed to switch to payment in rubles, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday. “We expect the decision [to switch to rubles] from other importers,” Novak added, in comments published in the ministry’s magazine, without disclosing the identities of the customers …
Read More »Countries will need to create ruble reserves to buy Russian gas
Countries globally may soon have to create ruble reserves within their domestic economies if they wish to continue to buy Russian gas, as Moscow switches payments to its national currency, Ilya Ilyin, the head of the banking and financial markets analysis department at Promsvyazbank said on Thursday. “In the event …
Read More »Ukraine conflict could spark food riots in poor countries – WTO
The conflict in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia from Western countries are driving up global food prices, as Black Sea ports used to export grain remain blocked. The situation could lead to hunger and food rioting in poor countries, where food security depends on imports, the head of the World …
Read More »Countries may cut dollar holdings after Russian reserves frozen – IMF
Global economies will be rethinking how safe it is to rely on the US dollar in their foreign currency holdings, the deputy head of the International Monetary Fund, Gita Gopinath, said on Tuesday. The statement comes after half of Russia’s forex holdings were effectively confiscated by international financial institutions amid …
Read More »Developed countries told to give up cars on Sundays to hurt Putin
Car-free Sundays in cities, working from home up to three days a week and using cost-efficient public transport – are just some of the recommendations made by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to the world. The 10-point action plan aims at cutting back on oil consumption “in the face of …
Read More »US outsourced dangerous infections studies to other countries – Lavrov to RT
Russia suspects Pentagon-funded bioresearch laboratories in foreign nations, including those in Ukraine, may pose a threat because of the secrecy surrounding their work, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT. Washington apparently didn’t want to risk exposing its own people to the pathogenic threat, he suggested. “The Americans some years ago …
Read More »Hungarian PM says countries can’t count on NATO to protect them
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday morning that he felt he couldn’t count on the Western bloc when it comes to real action concerning the country’s security. “NATO will protect us when we are ready to defend ourselves. Anyone who thinks NATO will protect us is wrong,” he …
Read More »Biden orders troops to countries bordering Russia
President Joe Biden announced plans to shift some of the US military’s European forces into Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, reinforcing NATO’s northeastern flank after Russia formally recognized the sovereignty of the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Biden announced the military maneuvering on Tuesday, as he gave a scathing speech …
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