The requests lent an air of formality to a process condemned by the West. They followed sham referendums in four regions in Ukraine that purported to put voters’ stamp of approval on joining Russia.
In her annual address, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, pushed for the bloc to remain firm in the face of Russian aggression.
Holding together despite some nations’ dependence on Russia, the European Union agreed to make voluntary savings mandatory if the Kremlin suddenly decides to turn off the taps over its invasion of Ukraine.
On the eve of a European Union meeting to debate a gas conservation plan to make the bloc less vulnerable to a Russian squeeze, Moscow slashed the flow to Germany.