New Delhi: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said members of the European Union had halved purchases of Russian natural gas since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.
Borrell told the Deutsche Welle media company that deliveries from Russia made up about 40% of all gas purchased by European Union members before the operation began. By now it has dropped to 20%.
The purchases of Russian gas cannot be halted overnight, he added.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbas republics. Putin stressed that Moscow’s plans did not include an occupation of Ukrainian territories, its goals being the demilitarization and denazification of the country. In response, the West began to gradually introduce sweeping sanctions against Moscow and supply weapons and military equipment to Kyiv estimated at billions of dollars.
After Russia’s special military operations in Ukraine, the world has come more together to impose several sanctions on Russia. The US and the EU have tried well to punish the Moscow government with financial and other types of sanctions.
According to the experts, the sanctions on Russia and other financial and weapons help to Ukraine are not enough to stop Russia.
(Vinayak)