Ukraine war: Germany says now ready to stop buying Russian oil

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that preparations to limit Germany's exposure to Russian energy imports were underway even before President Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine

Germany is now ready to stop buying Russian oil, government officials said, according to the Wall Street Journal, as US President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday for $33 billion to support Ukraine as well as new legal tools to siphon assets from Russian oligarchs.

Reaffirming its support, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance was ready to maintain its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia for years, including help for Kyiv to shift from Soviet-era weapons to modern Western arms and systems. 

“We need to be prepared for the long term,” Stoltenberg told a youth summit in Brussels. “There is absolutely the possibility that this war will drag on and last for months and years.” 

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that preparations to limit Germany’s exposure to Russian energy imports were under way even before President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Berlin had been one of the key nations opposing sanctions on the EU’s oil and gas trade with Moscow. Germany has started preparations for a potential halt in Russian gas deliveries as concerns intensify amid a dispute over payment terms, he said.

As it seeks to put pressure on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine, Germany is phasing out Russian coal and has said halting oil imports from the country would be “manageable.” 

In one of the most dramatic escalation of US funding for the war against Russia, Biden made a vast funding request, including over $20 billion for weapons, ammunition and other military assistance, as well as $8.5 billion in direct economic assistance to the government and $3 billion in humanitarian and food security aid.

“We need this bill to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom,” Biden said at the White House.

Do not test our patience: Russia

Russia on Thursday warned the West that there would be a tough military response to any further attack on Russian territory, accusing the US and its key allies of undermining European security by openly inciting Ukraine to assault Russia.The Kremlin said Western attempts to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine threatened the security of Europe.