(WARSAW) – Three of Russia’s six largest oil refining facilities have cut or completely halted production this month following Ukrainian long range drone strikes, as Poland scrambled military aircraft and residents in parts of the Lublin and Subcarpathian regions received alerts from the Government Centre for Security.
Airports in Lublin and Rzeszów temporarily suspended all operations as a precaution. The strikes, aimed at disrupting fuel supplies and reducing energy revenues that help finance Moscow’s war, have hit six oil refineries primarily producing diesel fuel, which account for half of Russia’s total diesel production. The Kirishi facility in Leningrad has shut down completely, forcing regional authorities to introduce fuel limits at petrol stations until 1st October. The other two, in Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd, are operating at approximately a quarter of their total capacity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said NATO must answer every Russian provocation or Moscow will go further next time. In an interview with Canadian broadcaster CBC News aired on Tuesday, Zelensky said he was not surprised by the Russian drone incursions that took place during his stay in Moldova. “It’s not the first time. So I’m not surprised,” he said. “Russia uses drones. It’s a pity that they can use the drones not only in Moldova. They use by the way this day in Romania, which is very close to Moldova. It’s not only just hunting on me or on somebody else like it was in Germany some days ago. It’s very simple to show such power when nobody answers you. You always have to answer on any kind of Russia provocation. Maybe some with soft power, I mean this, but you have to react otherwise they will go further.”
The US House of Representatives has voted to advance the late North Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill with a narrow margin of only three votes. The final vote to implement the measure is set to take place later today. Although the bill passed with overwhelming support in the Senate, the House appears more wary as the legislation would grant US President Donald Trump sweeping authority over tariffs.
The measure would give the president the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas, as well as five countries helping Moscow evade energy sanctions. Ukraine’s presidential sanctions commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, travelled to the United States earlier this month to secure support for the bill and later said he felt optimistic about the outcome of the vote on its implementation delegation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to deliver her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, outlining the bloc’s priorities for the year ahead. The broad theme of the speech is likely to be European independence, with the commission identifying three tipping points facing the continent: AI, climate and competitiveness. The commissioner is unlikely to point fingers at China as the main rival to EU industry, though the reality is becoming harder to ignore as the continent faces a 1 billion euro (approximately 1.1 billion US dollars or 850 million pounds sterling) daily deficit with China, getting worse by the month.
Security is also likely to feature, with the European continent facing a barrage of hybrid warfare and hybrid threats posed by Russia, including drones, sabotage and cutting cables. The commission president is likely to float the idea of a European security council that could see European countries cooperating more closely with allies such as the UK, Canada, Ukraine and Norway. Another proposal may be modelled against NATO’s Article 4, which could see member states able to convene an emergency meeting when faced with a dire security situation.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will appear in Strasbourg today and will make a speech tomorrow, with the European Commission making clear it wants to bring Canada as close to the bloc as possible without actually making Canada a member. Migration is also expected to feature, with the commission president likely to unveil frameworks making returns policy easier and beefing up the EU border agency Frontex. Climate is another expected fixture, with the commission likely to propose frameworks on how best to prepare the continent for a rapidly changing climate, including insurance plans and identifying regions likely to be hit hardest. The EU Children’s Act is also set to feature, a policy proposal that would see minors under the age of 15 having limited access to social media.
Saudi air defences destroyed a Houthi drone that attempted to enter airspace over Mecca early on Wednesday morning amid growing fears of a full blown war between the world’s biggest oil exporter and the Yemen based militant group. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis remains intact despite reports of Saudi appeals for American intervention.
The Houthis have advanced rapidly in Yemen in recent days, capturing territory including Perim Island at the mouth of the Red Sea, as well as the Red Sea’s crucial port city of Mocha, which endangers global oil trade already strained due to the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Early Wednesday, footage was released showing the tanker Elgaya after it struck sea mines while passing through a prohibited zone south of the crucial waterway. Several explosions have also been heard on Iran’s Kish Island, though their cause has yet to be officially determined.
Poland is suffering the consequences of last week’s Iranian attack on the East West Saudi pipeline, with Saudi authorities announcing a halt to deliveries from September onwards. Fuel prices in Poland are skyrocketing again after a temporary respite in August, now nearing the EU average of almost 2 euros (approximately 2.20 US dollars or 1.70 pounds sterling) per litre. Poland imports roughly half of its entire oil supply from Saudi Arabia and repairs will take a while. The Saudis announced on Tuesday they are cancelling September deliveries to European refineries, so prices will jump even higher, including for everyday commodities.
Up until two weeks ago, Poland had some of the lowest fuel prices in all of Europe thanks to a costly government relief programme. Prime Minister Donald Tusk hoped to extend it thanks to a new tax on fuel corporations, but Conservative President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the bill meant to introduce the tax. The president argued the tax would essentially make the law work backwards, taxing fuel companies for past revenue. The government will try to introduce the bill again.
US President Donald Trump once again said peace is right around the corner. “The failing nation of Iran wants to make a deal quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the USA will choose to engage, the concept of which we are open to,” he said. According to several analyses, Trump has claimed Iran is ready to strike a deal at least 30 or 40 times by now, all while fuel prices continue to rise.
Be First to Comment