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Poland: Russia’s gas blackmail must be tackled, PM says

Poland will take steps to sever economic ties with Moscow, its prime minister has said in a “de-Russification” process in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Memories of decades of Soviet rule after World War II are deep in the largest eastern member of the European Union, and the war in Ukraine has added an urgent need to a process of minimizing dependence on Russia that was already under way.

“We will deal with the de-Russianization of the Polish and European economies. We demand the suspension of activities in the Russian market,” said Mateusz Morawiecki.

Calling the measures a “shield against Putin”, a term reminiscent of previous government measures to protect businesses and households from the coronavirus and inflation, Morawiecki said the first main goal was to stop rising food prices.

In addition to being a major exporter of wheat, Russia is also a world leader in fertilizer exports.

International food and feed prices could rise as much as 20 percent as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has said.

Poland will offer farmers a subsidy of 500 zlotys ($ 117) for each hectare of land they use for agricultural purposes, to compensate them for the rising cost of fertilizers.

Strong opponent of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Poland has long argued that Europe should reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, and Morawiecki stressed that the government would distribute 3 billion zlotys to recapitalize the domestic pipeline company, Gaz-System.

“Gas blackmail, the use of raw materials as an element not only of psychological warfare, but simply war, is an action that we have to deal with on many fronts,” Morawiecki said.

It is characteristic that the Polish gas company PGNiG has in many cases stressed that it will not extend the current contract with the Russian Gazprom, when it expires in 2022.

Source: Capital

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