President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Russia unleashed a gas war against Europe. Its goal is to make it as difficult as possible for countries to prepare for winter..

“Today we saw another gas threat to Europe. Despite the concession regarding the turbine for Nord Stream, Russia is not going to resume gas supplies to European countries, as it undertook under the contracts. This is an open gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe – this is how it should be perceived,” he stressed in his evening address..

Zelensky compared the Kremlin's gas blackmail with other types of terror: blocking Ukrainian ports and provoking world hunger, creating inhuman conditions in the occupied territories.

The response to such actions should be tougher sanctions, limiting the aggressor's income not only from gas and oil, but from any export in general, he believes.. It is also necessary to break trade ties with Russia as much as possible, because each such tie is a potential means of pressure.

“The terrorist state needs the monthly increasing gas blackmail of Europe in order to worsen life for every European. And this can really be seen as an incentive for the eighth EU sanctions package to be much more significant than the recently approved seventh,” Zelensky concluded..