Europe
Gas price cap postponed + SOTEU + Top post
Dear reader,
Last Tuesday, Ukrainian units broke through Russian defense lines for the first time near Balakliia and they rapidly conquered large parts of the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine over the weekend. Russian forces are retreating in an unsorted fashion from key logistics hubs such as Izium, leaving masses of war materiel behind. Meanwhile, the Kremlin remains silent.
The war has taken an astounding turn. A Ukrainian victory suddenly seems possible. The question is: How will Vladimir Putin react – and what about the West? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy immediately called for more heavy weapons, especially battle tanks, which Kyiv believes are needed. Until now, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had stressed that Russia must not win this war. Now he will soon have to give his answer to the question whether the goal is Moscow's defeat.
Putin still has plenty of options to further escalate the conflict. This includes the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was shut down over the weekend for safety reasons, among other things, the remaining energy supplies. The leverage is still so strong that EU states are wary of a price cap on Russian gas imports. Manuel Berkel brings you up to speed on the outcome of the energy ministers' council.
