Heading towards World War III?

Major British media outlets are providing one-sided coverage of the Ukrainian conflict and are making efforts to exonerate neo-Nazis in the country, Steve Sweeney, an international editor at British newspaper the Morning Star, told RT.

Sweeney, who recently returned from the Ukrainian city of Lvov near the border with Poland, said he had to travel there himself because “the British media reporting [on Ukraine] is now incredibly restricted.”

“You have the Times, the Telegraph, the Guardian, the BBC, Sky News, Channel 4 all really producing identical reports from Kiev and Lvov that don’t deviate at all from the government line, from the NATO line on what’s happening” in Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, he said.

“A great effort is being made to really whitewash or rehabilitate the Azov [military battalion] as either having no influence in Ukraine or being just simply misunderstood nationalists,” the journalist pointed out.

The Azov battalion is an infamous nationalist unit in the ranks of the Ukrainian military. Its members have fought the Russian forces in the strategic port city of Mariupol since the start of Moscow’s military operation. Many of them were killed, while the rest, including the commanders, laid down their arms earlier in May after being holed up at the Azovstal steel plant for weeks. Footage of the surrendering fighters reveals many of them sporting tattoos of Swastikas and other Nazi symbols.

Sweeney went as far as to describe the BBC’s reporting on the Azov battalion as “a masterclass in fascism denial.”

The Morning Star editor described what he saw in Lvov, saying “the city itself was essentially full of fascists and mercenaries, and people in military fatigues that are using civilian transport networks to enter Ukraine” from Poland.

The foreigners in military gear, who say they come to Ukraine “to kill the Russians," are welcomed with open arms; they’re rolled the red carpet out and they’re slapped on the back and treated as heroes,” he said.

He also said, however that as a journalist, he was treated in a completely different fashion by the Ukrainian authorities.

“What happened to me was I was quizzed about my business in Ukraine; told that I was a spy; told that I would be arrested and tortured; and the indication was possibly worse than that, which means they would’ve potentially killed me,” Sweeney recalled.

www.rt.com/news/556276-azov-ukraine-uk-nazi

India has received 34 million barrels of discounted Russian oil since February, more than 10 times the value of the total imports from the country year-on-year, Reuters reported on Monday, citing Refinitiv Eikon data.

According to the report, more than 24 million barrels of Russian crude were supplied this month, up from 7.2 million barrels in April, and from about three million barrels in March. The South Asian nation is set to receive about 28 million barrels in June, data shows.

Last year, Russian crude exports to India averaged just 960,000 barrels per month, roughly 25 times less than this month’s total.

Western sanctions on Moscow have created an opportunity for Indian refiners to increase purchases of Russian oil (mostly Urals crude) at discounted prices, as some European customers have been vocally reluctant to buy Russian crude.

India has come under fire from the West for its continued purchases of Russian oil. However, New Delhi has rebuffed the criticism, saying those imports make up a fraction of the country’s overall needs. Authorities also said India will keep buying “cheap” Russian oil as a sudden stop could drive up costs for its consumers. Previous media reports have indicated that the world’s third-biggest oil importer was seeking Russian crude at less than $70 a barrel to compensate for additional hurdles caused by sanctions.

www.rt.com/business/556345-russian-oil-exports-jump-india

After weeks of deliberation, EU member states have agreed in principle a sixth round of anti-Russia sanctions, the bloc’s leadership announced after a meeting on Monday. Hungary will preserve its Russian oil imports, but otherwise much of the crude will be embargoed.

EU Council President Charles Michel said the watered-down embargo will affect about 75% of Russian oil imports, with the percentage growing to 90% by the end of the year.

Hungary, which had previously blocked the sanctions, was exempted from the trade restrictions, its Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. “Hungarian families can sleep well,” he wrote on social media.

The EU is seeking to remove Russia as a supplier of energy. Hungary opposed the proposal from Brussels to cut all oil imports from the country, saying it could not replace the fuel immediately. The landlocked country obtains roughly 60% of its crude from Russia via the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline, and there is no easy way of importing oil by sea.

The proposed restrictions required the approval of all 27 EU nations, so Hungary’s position had effectively vetoed the sanctions since they were first drafted in early May. The latest version provides for a temporary exemption in respect of Russian pipeline oil, instead targeting sea deliveries. Michel said the restrictions would be formally passed on Wednesday. EU leaders have indicated that Russian pipeline oil will have to be banned at some point in the future.

www.rt.com/news/556364-russian-oil-embargo-eu

The Netherlands has become the fourth country to stop receiving Russian natural gas, following its decision not to pay for deliveries in rubles. Russia’s energy giant Gazprom announced on Tuesday that it had “completely stopped gas supplies” to the Dutch state energy wholesaler GasTerra.

“As of the end of the business day on May 30, Gazprom Export had not received payment for gas supplies in April from GasTerra B.V.,” the Russian company explained in a statement.

GasTerra earlier said it had taken measures to make up for the gas shortfall.

“The cessation of supply by Gazprom means that until October 1, 2022, the date on which the contract ends, approximately 2 bcm of contracted gas will not be supplied. GasTerra has anticipated this by purchasing gas elsewhere,” the Dutch company outlined in a statement.

In late April, Gazprom suspended gas exports to Bulgaria and Poland, and in May, Finland was cut off. Denmark also faces a supply freeze after refusing Russia’s ruble payment demand.

www.rt.com/business/556363-gazprom-gas-netherlands-delivery

A compressor station at the Hassi R’Mel gas field in Algeria has been leaking large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, for nearly four decades, scientists from Valencia Polytechnic University have warned after analyzing satellite data.

The results of the study risk complicating the EU’s climate goals as Algeria is seen by Brussels as a substitute for Russian gas supplies, which the bloc intends to abandon in response to the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

It’s difficult to estimate the total amount of emissions from the facility, but the researchers said that it’s releasing around 4.5 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere every hour.

According to other estimates by Kayrros SAS, a geoanalytics firm, the emissions from the whole Hassi R’Mel gas field spiked by a staggering 67% last year, reaching 939,000 tons of methane, which has 84 times the warming power of CO₂ in the short term.

www.rt.com/news/556367-algeria-eu-gas-ukraine

Denmark has become the fifth country to be cut off from Russian natural gas following the refusal of its biggest power wholesaler, Orsted, to pay for deliveries in rubles. Supplies to Shell Energy Europe Limited in Germany have also been halted for the same reason, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Wednesday.

“As of the end of the business day on May 31, Gazprom Export had not received payment for gas supplies in April from Orsted Salg & Service,” the Russian company explained in a statement.

It added that in 2021, Gazprom Export supplied the Danish company with 1.97 bcm of gas, which amounted to about two thirds of total gas consumption in Denmark.

“The contract between Gazprom Export and Shell Energy Europe Limited for the supply of gas to Germany provides for a volume of up to 1.2 bcm of gas per year,” Gazprom said.

Shell accounts for just 2.6% of the 95 bcm of natural gas Germany consumes each year.

“Shell continues to work on a phased withdrawal from Russian hydrocarbons,” the company told the BBC.

Most of Germany’s larger gas buyers, including Uniper and RWE, have agreed to the Kremlin’s ruble payment scheme.

Russia’s new payment mechanism requires gas buyers from “unfriendly” countries that have placed sanctions on Moscow to open accounts in Russia’s Gazprombank. They can then deposit funds in their currency of choice, which the bank converts to rubles and transfers to the Saint Petersburg energy giant.

The Russian energy giant recently suspended gas exports to Bulgaria, Poland, Finland and the Netherlands after they refused to comply. According to the Russian Energy Ministry, about two dozen European companies have so far opened ruble accounts.

www.rt.com/business/556413-denmark-gazprom-shell-gas

The Netherlands continues to receive Russian gas after Gazprom stopped gas supplies to state energy wholesaler GasTerra due to non-payment in rubles, broadcaster NOS reported on Tuesday. It clarified that a number of Dutch energy companies still import Russian gas.

According to the report, the firms are purchasing Russian energy both directly and indirectly. Thus, Russian gas is supplied to the Netherlands through Dutch companies Essent and Eneco, as well as Germany’s Uniper and RWE, it said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate was cited as saying that based on data from European grid operators, among other things, the ministry estimates that the Netherlands imports a total of around 6 billion cubic meters of Russian gas each year. It is impossible to say exactly how much Russian gas is being purchased at the moment, the spokesman said.

www.rt.com/business/556428-russian-gas-flows-netherlands-continue

A raging war in Ukraine has now evolved into a full-fledged economic battle with the European Union for Russia. Moscow has now further cut gas supplies to Europe as a state energy giant Gazprom turned off its taps for some companies in Denmark and Germany citing payment failures for previously made gas deliveries.

Turkey is ready to host a new round of negotiations between Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. He made the offer to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a phone call.

The peace process had appeared to be making some headway before talks broke down, last month.

“President Erdogan stated Turkey’s readiness, if agreed upon in principle by both parties, to meet with Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations in Istanbul, and to assume a role in a possible observation mechanism,” the presidency’s directorate of communications said in a statement.

Erdogan noted “the need for steps that would minimize the negative effects of the war and build trust by restoring as soon as possible the ground for peace between Russia and Ukraine,” it added.

Moscow has not yet commented on the Turkish proposal, with the Kremlin readout of the talks not mentioning it at all. According to the press release, the Ukraine part of the Putin-Erdogan phone call largely revolved around the safety of seafaring in the Black and Azov seas, as well as demining.

www.rt.com/news/556352-turkey-russia-ukraine-talks

The US will send Ukraine more advanced rocket systems to help it defend itself, President Biden has announced.

The weapons, long requested by Ukraine, are to help it strike enemy forces more precisely from a longer distance.

Until now, the US had refused the request out of fear the weapons could be used against targets in Russia.

Moscow said it viewed the latest US weapons package to Ukraine including the new systems "extremely negatively".

Separately, the German government has promised to send an air defence system to Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz told MPs that the IRIS-T system was the most modern Germany possessed and would enable Ukraine to defend an entire city against Russian air attacks.

He added that he would provide tracking radar capable of detecting enemy artillery, and multiple rocket launchers.

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61655577

While Washington intends to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons, systems that allow Ukrainian forces to attack Russia will not be among them, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Tuesday.

“Look, it’s very very simple. We have been clear from day one that we will provide Ukraine with weapons to defend itself from Russian aggression, to defend itself inside its borders, to fight against Russia,” Thomas-Greenfield told reporters at a press conference marking the end of Washington’s presidency over the UN Security Council. “We’re not providing any weapons that will allow the Ukrainians to attack Russia from inside of Ukraine, and President [Joe] Biden has been very clear on that.”

“We’re not going to become [a] party to the war,” she added.

On Monday, Biden confirmed media speculation that the US intends to ship multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS) to Ukraine. He offered no details beyond saying he was “not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia.”

US media outlets have mentioned MLRS systems as possibly destined for Ukraine – the M270 tracked launcher, retired in 2003, or the more modern M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Both can launch tactical ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers, as well as barrage rockets with an effective range of around 30 kilometers.

www.rt.com/news/556406-us-rockets-ukraine-russia

Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to remove the nation’s human rights commissioner, Lyudmila Denisova, from her post. The official has been accused of failing to perform her duties and in particular of spreading unverified information about atrocities supposedly committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. Such actions only served to tarnish Ukraine’s image, MPs have argued.

A no-confidence resolution has been supported by 234 (52%) lawmakers out of 450 MPs in Verkhovnaya Rada, said Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Golos (‘Voice’) faction in the Ukrainian parliament. Denisova had previously been criticized, both by lawmakers and the Ukrainian media, over a purported failure to execute her duties, particularly amid the ongoing conflict in the country.

www.rt.com/russia/556400-ukraine-fire-official-russian-crimes

The Russian ruble is getting stronger while EU citizens have to cope with higher prices due to sanctions that simply don’t work, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic complained on Tuesday. He called the EU explanation for the partial oil and gas embargo “insulting” and said Zagreb had little pull within the bloc, unlike its neighbors in Hungary.

“The sanctions aren’t working. Russia isn’t feeling them, the ruble did not collapse. EU citizens get to pay the price, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin gets to smile in contentment, and the oil and gas will go elsewhere because the demand is great,” Milanovic said in Zagreb, commenting on the EU’s latest additions to the anti-Russian embargo.

He added that the EU sanctions in their current form “wouldn’t be effective even against Serbia” and that the only thing likely to happen is higher prices for citizens of EU countries.

EU leaders on Tuesday agreed to a new sanctions package barring imports of all Russian oil delivered by ship – but not by pipeline – and stopped short of banning Russian natural gas.

“The key player is Hungary,” Milanovic said, pointing out that Budapest was primarily responsible for the pipeline exemption. The reasons the EU cited for not embargoing Russian gas were “an insult to common sense,” he added.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi claimed that Western sanctions will have “maximum impact” on the Russian economy “from this summer onwards.”

Speaking after the meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Tuesday, Draghi said the oil embargo will affect international trade “for many years, if not forever.”

www.rt.com/news/556407-croatia-sanctions-russia-failure

The European Union ban on Russian oil will not be “a walk in the park,” but it was a “right and necessary” decision, Austrian energy minister Leonore Gewessler said on Tuesday as EU member countries agreed a sixth round of anti-Russia sanctions.

Since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in late February, the EU has imposed a series of major sanctions on Moscow. The sixth package includes a partial ban on Russian oil. Some EU member states, such as Hungary and Bulgaria, will be given a waiver, but most import routes will be blocked. The decision, which provides a temporary exemption in respect of pipeline oil, will affect around 75% of the bloc’s Russian crude.

The Austrian minister wrote on Twitter that the ban was “an important step” which would make the EU “more independent and resilient.” Gewessler also stressed that, over the past few months, Austria has not been importing Russian oil and had “prepared well” for the oil embargo.

“It is clear to all of us that this is a feat of strength and a great challenge. This decision will certainly not be a walk in the park, but it is right and necessary,” the minister wrote.

www.rt.com/russia/556419-austria-russia-sanctions-challenge

Russia and China are continuing to eliminate the US dollar from mutual trade as monthly volumes on the exchange of ruble and yuan have reportedly soared 1,067% to nearly $4 billion over the past three months.

According to Bloomberg calculations, some 25.91 billion yuan, or $3.9 billion, have been exchanged for rubles on the Moscow spot market so far in May, marking a twelvefold surge versus the volumes recorded in February, when Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. The spike coincides with a rally in the ruble to a five-year high against the yuan and the US dollar.

Meanwhile, volume in the dollar-ruble pairing reportedly dropped to the lowest level in a decade. The ruble rallied 118% against the greenback between early March and late May, even as most traders deserted the pair amid capital controls and forced dollar sales.

“The main players in the yuan-ruble market are corporations and banks, but there is also a growing interest from retail investors,” a currency and rates strategist at Sberbank CIB, Yuri Popov, told the agency.

“The volume on the Moscow Exchange’s spot market has surged. This is due to sanctions concerns, as well as the intentions of Russia and China to encourage the usage of national currencies in bilateral trade,” he added.

The mass exodus of international brands from the sanctions-hit country have reportedly forced Russian businesses to turn to Chinese goods to replace Western imports. Meanwhile, the Chinese yuan may gain fresh impetus for internationalization just when growing tensions between Washington and Beijing are slowing that process.

www.rt.com/business/556389-ruble-yuan-surge-dollar-sanctions

Putin says 'thanks God' European companies are leaving Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin says some foreign companies leaving the Russian market may be 'for the best', as he spoke during a video conference at the EAEU Economic Forum.