Russia on Wednesday cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, both members of the European Union and NATO, a sign of a dramatic escalation in a conflict that is turning into a broader battle with the West.
Russia's state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom said earlier that it had cut gas supplies to the two countries
after they refused to pay for shipments in rubles.
The move marks an escalation of the Kremlin's confrontation with the West and its efforts to weaken the resolve of those who support Ukraine's defensive posture.
It came after the United States and its allies met in Germany to promise more heavy weapons for kyiv as it fights a Russian offensive in the country's east.
Russia accused the West of engaging in a "proxy war" by arming Ukraine and threatened to attack military shipments.
Putin is ready to negotiate peace with Ukraine... if they recognize Russia's sovereignty over Crimea
April 26, 202200:32
Gas prices in Europe soared 24% on the news.
The president of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described Russia's action as "a new attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail".
"This is unwarranted and unacceptable," she condemned herself.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, based in Paris, described the measure on the social network Twitter as "armification of energy supplies."
[The Biden Administration will resume the sale of permits to extract gas and oil on federal public lands]
On the ground
there are also fears that the war could spill over Ukraine's borders.
For a second day, explosions rocked the breakaway region of Trans-Dniester in neighboring Moldova on Tuesday, knocking down two powerful radio masts.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Ukraine blamed Russia.
In addition, a Russian missile hit a strategic railway bridge linking the Ukrainian port region of Odessa with neighboring NATO member Romania, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Across the border
in Russia, an ammunition depot in the Belgorod region was on fire early Wednesday
after several explosions were heard, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The story of the American boy who was kidnapped from Ukraine is complicated: now he is in Russia
April 25, 202202:00
On Tuesday, the US defense chief urged Ukraine's allies to "move at the speed of war" to
get more
and heavier weapons to Kiev as Russian forces rained fire on eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukraine.
Poland, Russia's historical rival, has been one of the main arms gateways to Ukraine and this week confirmed the shipment of tanks to the country.
The country assured that it was well prepared for the gas cut on Wednesday.
A banner reading "Don't feed Putin" in the city of Stare Mesto in Warsaw, Poland, on April 25, 2022. Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Poland also has a large volume of natural gas in storage, and will soon benefit from the commissioning of two pipelines, according to analyst Emily McClain of Rystad Energy.
For its part, Bulgaria gets more than 90% of its gas from Russia, and officials said they were working to find other sources, such as Azerbaijan.
With information from AP and
NBC News.