Skip next section EU seeks to phase out remaining Russian gas imports
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
EU seeks to phase out remaining Russian gas imports
The will present a “roadmap” for terminating all current and future Russian deliveries to the block on Tuesday.
Once the EU’s top gas supplier, Russia fell out of favor with the 27-member bloc over its war of aggression with EU aspirant Ukraine.
Though there was relatively broad consensus that deliveries should end, the bloc has continued to feed Russian coffers as the result of the complicated unwinding of dozens of years of cooperation.
The EU now aims to end its reliance on Russian gas by 2027.
The is seeking ways to allow companies to withdraw from existing contracts, for instance, but legal experts say these could potentially face penalties or arbitration should they do so. Many European companies have so-called “take or pay” contracts that require them to pay for contracted gas whether they accept delivery or not.
Any changes now would depend on approval by the EU parliament and potentially a majority of member states depending on EU’s legal approach.
The EU currently imports roughly 19% of its gas from Russia — in 2022, that number was 40%. Though sanctioning imports would quickly curtail deliveries, this would require unanimous EU support — Hungary and Slovakia, however, have .
https://p.dw.com/p/4txxt
Skip next section Overnight drone attacks close Russian airports
05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Overnight drone attacks close Russian airports
Russian authorities were forced to close a dozen airports for several hours Tuesday following a second night of drone attacks. news agencies cited the Federal Air Transport Agency as having restricted flights at four Moscow airports, as well as in Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd and elsewhere.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that a total of 19 drones had been downed in the city overnight but that “no damage or casualties” had resulted from the assault. Dozens more drones were reported to have been shot down in other regions across the country including Kursk, Voronezh, Pena and others.
The scale of the attacks is unclear at the moment and Kyiv has yet to comment. Ukraine has increased strikes on infrastructure it says is key to — launched on February 24, 2022 — with Tuesday’s assault being a reminder to citizens in the capital that the Kremlin’s ongoing war is not be as distant as it appears.
The attacks come just days before a major military parade in the capital that is set to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of , which Russia celebrates on May 9. The parade will see several Russian allies in attendance and feature a speech by Russian President , who last week declared a three-day ceasefire between May 8 and 10 in line with the celebration.
Ukrainian President has scoffed at Putin’s proposal, calling instead for the implementation of a US-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire. “The Russians are asking for a ceasefire on May 9 and are themselves firing at Ukraine every day,” wrote Zelenskyy on Sunday in a social media post. “This is cynicism of the highest order.” Putin has rejected the US plan.
https://p.dw.com/p/4txsy
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage05/06/2025May 6, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Welcome to our coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Overnight, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted several Russian airports, forcing them to close.
At the same time, the EU is working on a plan to stop all Russian gas deliveries to the bloc.
In Germany, Friedrich Merz, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, is set to be sworn in as the country’s new chancellor.
https://p.dw.com/p/4txuF
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