You've waged economic war, now wait and watch: Russia warns West

Says sanctions may force rethink on energy deals

The Kremlin accused the United States on Wednesday of declaring an economic war on Russia that was sowing mayhem through energy markets, and it put Washington on notice it was considering its response to a ban on Russian oil and energy.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, however, said that negotiations with Kyiv to resolve the Ukraine conflict were making headway and underscored that Moscow’s troops were not working to topple the Ukrainian government.

On Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine also agreed to a day-long ceasefire around a series of evacuation corridors to allow civilians to escape the fighting, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cast the West’s sanctions as a hostile act that had roiled global markets and he said it was unclear how far turbulence on global energy markets would go.

“You see the bacchanalia, the hostile bacchanalia, which the West has sown — and that of course makes the situation very difficult and forces us to think seriously,” Peskov told reporters. “We see that the situation on energy markets is developing rather turbulently — and we don't know how far that turbulence will go,” Peskov said.

“The situation demands a rather deep analysis — those decisions announced by President Biden," Peskov said. “If you are asking me what Russia is going to do — Russia is going to do what is necessary to defend its interests.” “The United States definitely has declared economic war against Russia and is waging this war,” he said.

EU adds 160 Russian oligarchs, lawmakers to sanctions blacklist

The EU agreed on Wednesday to add 160 Russian oligarchs and lawmakers to its sanctions blacklist, target crypto-assets and hit the maritime sector over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, officials said. The 27-nation bloc also gave the go-ahead to cut three Belarusian banks from the global SWIFT messaging system over Mins’s support for the Kremlin’s attack.

The UK also ratcheted up its sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s administration by banning all Russian aircraft from landing and overflying Britain, and prohibiting aviation and space-related exports. Britain said it was exploring donating anti-aircraft missiles made by Thales to Ukraine.

Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge; a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv | Photo: AP | PTI

 

Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the destroyed Irpin Bridge, west of Kyiv | Photo: AP | PTI

Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the destroyed Irpin Bridge, west of Kyiv | Photo: AP | PTI