The reckoning will come in the winter, which will be the harshest in decades, the Romanian deputy PM has said
Europe will have to pay a heavy price for its sanctions on Russia, as this year, the continent could experience the harshest winter in decades, Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Hunor Kelemen told B1 TV on Wednesday.
“First of all, we, the European Union, will have to pay for the sanctions against Russia… Truth be told, we will all pay the price this winter while, unfortunately, there are no signs that the end of war is near… It will be a harsh winter, perhaps the harshest one in the last 40-50-60 years,” he told the outlet.
According to Kelemen, Ukraine’s conflict with Russia will last longer than anticipated, and it will take a toll on Europe. The deputy PM, however, defended the sanctions imposed by the West in response to Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, saying Europe “did not have any other leverage.”
Despite the economic woes plaguing the EU, Kelemen tried to strike an optimistic tone, saying Romania will be able to cope with the energy issues.
“We can cover about 80% of Romania’s needs in natural gas, but we will have to buy about 2 billion cubic meters on the market. If not, we will certainly face some problems, but I am convinced that we will buy gas, we will have electricity, and this compensation will allow us to get through the winter,” he explained.
Amid the Ukraine conflict, the EU imposed sweeping sanction on Russia, including a ban on Russian oil delivered by sea. The bloc also vowed to cut its dependence on natural gas from Russia.
On Monday, Russian energy giant Gazprom suspended operations of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline due to planned maintenance, which is set to be complete by late July. In mid-June, the flow of gas through the major conduit was slashed to 40% of its capacity due to operational challenges caused by the failure to return a serviced turbine from Canada due to the sanctions.
As a result, all of these factors have exacerbated Europe’s energy crunch.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had already agreed to resign. Protesters had stormed his home and office and the official residence of his prime minister amid a three-month economic crisis.
Israel topped the 2021 UN report for violations of children’s human rights
Israel should be blacklisted by the United Nations if it continues inflicting violence on Palestinian children at such high levels, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared on Monday, following the publication of the international body’s latest Children and Armed Conflict report.
The UN verified 2,934 “grave violations” against 1,208 Palestinian children and nine Israeli children in the report, which covered Israel, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Additionally, Israeli forces killed 78 Palestinian children, maimed 982, and detained 637, the report found, adding that 75% of the detainees reported having suffered physical violence.
“I am shocked by the number of children killed and maimed by Israeli forces during hostilities, in air strikes on densely populated areas and through the use of live ammunition during law enforcement operations,” the UN leader wrote.
“Should the situation repeat itself in 2022, without meaningful improvement, Israel should be listed,” he argued, referring to the “blacklist” found at the end of each annual Children and Armed Conflict report. Israel has not yet been included on the list, which is aimed at pressuring named countries and armed groups known to be committing violations of children’s human rights. Some diplomats have suggested the country – along with Saudi Arabia – recently pressured the UN to keep its name off the list.
The 2021 report found a total of 2,515 children were killed and 5,555 maimed in all global conflicts over the course of the year, with 6,310 children being recruited or otherwise used in such conflicts. While the worst numbers were reported in Israel and Palestine, Yemen – where the Saudi-led coalition continues to attack despite a UN-brokered truce – Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia also had high numbers of violations.
The 2022 edition of the report will include UN-verified violations in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, Guterres said. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet counted 335 children known to be killed in Ukraine as of July 3 and said the real figure is likely higher. She did not elaborate on who was to blame for the deaths.
