Russia restarts major gas pipeline

Residents apply for Russian citizenship in Kherson on Thursday. Pic/AFP

Russia is resuming supplies of gas via a major pipeline to Europe on Thursday, the pipeline operator said, amid concerns Moscow would use its vast energy exports to push back against Western pressure over its invasion of Ukraine.

The resumption of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at reduced capacity following a 10-day maintenance break comes after comments from Russia's foreign minister showed the Kremlin's goals had expanded during the five-month war. Sergei Lavrov told news agency RIA Novosti on Wednesday that Russia's military "tasks" in Ukraine now go beyond the eastern Donbas region. Lavrov also said Moscow's objectives will expand further if the West keeps supplying Kyiv with long-range weapons such as the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). "That means the geographical tasks will extend still further from the current line," he said, adding peace talks made no sense at the moment.

Concern that Russian supplies of gas sent through the biggest pipeline in Europe could be stopped by Moscow prompted European Union to tell member states on Wednesday to cut gas usage by 15% until March as an emergency step. "Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, describing a full cut-off of Russian gas flows as "a likely scenario" for which "Europe needs to be ready". The EU imposed more sanctions on Russia on Thursday. Putin had earlier warned gas supplies via Nord Stream were at risk of being reduced further.

Britain to supply anti-tank weapons

Britain will send scores of artillery guns and more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in the latest supply of Western arms to help bolster its defence against Russia, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday. The uplift comes after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month promised another 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of military support to Ukraine.

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