Europe prepared for Russia's gas 'blackmail' EU chief says

Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The EU has raised concerns that Moscow is using energy supplies as blackmail over the conflict in Ukraine.

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Gazprom halts gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria
EU says Russia's gas move is energy 'blackmail'
Russia bars entry to 287 British MPs
Zelenskyy warns Russia's goals go beyond Ukraine
Germany to supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft tanks

Zelenskyy says he was invited to G20 summit in Indonesia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Indonesian President Joko Widodo for inviting him to attend some of the G20 summit events. The leaders also discussed the food security issues.

"Had talks with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo. Thanked for the support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in particular for a clear position in the UN. Food security issues were discussed. Appreciate inviting me to the G20 summit," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.

Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 and will host the group's summit in Bali on November 15-16. Indonesian authorities have not yet confirmed that Zelenskyy has been invited to the summit.

In March, the Southeast Asian country voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Germany revises economic growth predictions amid Ukraine worries
The Ukraine crisis prompted German officials to scale down their forecast for 2022.

After previously predicting that Germany's economy would grow by 3.6% this year, the government now expects a growth of only 2.2% by the end of 2022. However, the government also foresees 2.5% growth in 2023, slightly higher than the previous estimate of 2.3%.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the country was facing "significant" risks.

"After two years of the COVID pandemic there is a new burden due to the war in Ukraine," he said. "The war in Ukraine and its economic consequences remind us that we are vulnerable."

He also said that Germany would gradually escape "the trap of Russian [energy] imports" and that the percentage of Russian gas used in Germany has already dropped from 55% to 35%. The German government believes it would take at least two years to eliminate the country's dependency on Russia.

US swaps former marine Reed for Russian pilot Yaroshenko
Russia and the US staged a secretive prisoner swap on Wednesday, exchanging two prisoners who had been detained years before the Ukraine war.

The deal saw former US Marine Trevor Reed being released from Russia's detention, where he was serving a 9-year prison sentence.

Reed, now 28, had been sentenced for attacking police officers after a night of heavy drinking in Moscow in 2019. He claims to have no recollection of the incident. Washington says Reed had been "wrongfully detained."

In return, the US released Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko who had been arrested in 2010 in Liberia and sentenced to 20 years over conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the US.

The exchange took place in Turkey, according to Yaroshenko's wife.

US President Joe Biden welcomed Reed, saying that his return "required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly."

Russia never stopped their attack on Azovstal, Ukrainian official tells.

Ukraine defense ministry advisor Yuriy Sak told that over 1,000 civilians were still trapped in the Mariupol steel mill, alongside 500 wounded Ukrainian fighters.

Russian forces "continue to throw everything they have on Mariupol and on Azovstal, despite the words of the president of Russia that the offensive [...] will discontinue," Sak said.

"They haven't stopped for [even] an hour. The shelling continues, missile strikes continue, artillery continues, infantry continues to attack."

Sak said Kyiv's allies have shifted their stance on delivering heavy weapons to Ukraine, but said his country needed more from Germany.

"Yesterday, the German minister of defense made a pledge about providing Ukraine with more tanks, but this is still insufficient," he said.

Russia withdraws from UN tourism body
Russia is withdrawing from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) ahead of a vote by its executive council to suspend Moscow's membership over its invasion of Ukraine.

The decision to hold the Extraordinary General Assembly on the suspension of Russia's membership of UNWTO was taken in early March. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the countries of Colombia, Guatemala, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Ukraine submitted an application to suspend the Russian Federation's membership of the organization.