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Added on the 20/07/2022 16:40:29 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Images show the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, through which a third of Russian gas supplies passes to reach the EU. Closed since 11 July for a 10-day routine maintenance, Europeans fear that Moscow won't turn the tap back on Thursday 21 July. In previous weeks, Russia had already cut 60% of its gas deliveries via the pipeline. The 1,224-kilometre (760-mile) long Nord Stream 1 is a system of twin pipelines running under the Baltic Sea, stretching from Russia's Vyborg to Lubmin in northeastern Germany. From there, a network of pipelines transports the gas into the European grid. IMAGES of the pipeline Nord Stream 1
The European Commission urges EU countries to reduce their demand for natural gas by 15 percent over the coming winter months to overcome Russia's energy supply "blackmail". SOUNDBITE
In Luxembourg, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner says it is not yet possible for the EU to cut Russian gas imports as a sanction against Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. SOUNDBITE
Targeting hospitals in Ukraine is a "war crime," a senior UN official tells an emergency meeting of the Security Council, called in the wake of deadly strikes that Kyiv blamed on Russia. "Intentionally directing attacks against a protected hospital is a war crime and perpetrators must be held to account," says Joyce Msuya, acting under-secretary for humanitarian affairs. SOUNDBITE
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Nigel Farage's claim that the West provoked Russia's invasion of Ukraine is "completely wrong and only plays into Putin's hands". The far-right leader of Britain's anti-immigration Reform UK party said in a BBC interview Friday that "we've provoked this war", while adding that "of course" it was Russian president Vladimir Putin's "fault". "This kind of appeasement is dangerous for Britain's security, the security of our allies that rely on us, and only emboldens Putin further," Sunak tells reporters while on the campaign trail ahead of July 4 general elections. SOUNDBITE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in France to join the international ceremony in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings on D-Day, a hugely symbolic backdrop to talks on how Ukraine can gain back ground after Russian advances. IMAGES