US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that there is an “urgent need” for European countries to stop relying on Russian energy, especially as the war in Ukraine continues, to ensure that supplies are “widely available”. CNN.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Tallinn with Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Callas, Blinken said there was a “significant, not only opportunity but also an urgent need” for many European countries to finally move away from dependence on Russia. “Because Russia uses it as a weapon.”
Kalas demanded that Russia and Belarus be completely excluded from the SWIFT system and that their access to cryptocurrencies be restricted.
Countries must focus on “completely isolating” Russia from the free world, he said. The deteriorating security situation “requires rapid changes in European security”, he stressed, adding that people must be prepared for the worst, which has not yet come.
Kalas also called on NATO to work on an “updated defense strategy in our region”.
He thanked Blinken for the US work in building unity among NATO allies, adding that he called for “a permanent and effective NATO vanguard in the Baltic region”.
Despite the situation on the ground, NATO is unwilling to be directly involved in the conflict – including the creation of a no-fly zone – beyond supporting Ukraine’s resistance to an invasion that also killed civilians.
Source: Capital
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