International press review
Headline: US embargo on Russian oil also penalizes Europe
Audio 05:27
Barrels of oil from the Russian firm Loukoil.
The United States announced on Tuesday March 8, 2022 an embargo on Russian oil.
© AFP/Kirill Kudryavtsev
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
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If the whole of the world press salutes "
the blow dealt to Putin
", who used his oil windfall to finance his "
dirty war in Ukraine
", as the
Guardian puts
it, the fact remains that the embargo American will “
also weaken the European Union
”, explains the
FAZ
, the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
A Europe "
very dependent on Russian oil and gas unlike the United States
", underlines the German daily which notes that "
to make matters worse, Moscow is threatening (now) to cut off gas to Europe
".
It is therefore an energy crisis summit which will bring together the 27 European leaders tomorrow in Versailles, explains
Le Temps,
with German Chancellor Scholz "the
first to have come up against the American proposal for an embargo against oil Russian
”, and which was quickly joined “
by its Bulgarian and Finnish counterparts
”.
"
European leaders are not sparing their efforts to find alternatives
," explains the Swiss daily, which highlights that the European Commission has thus proposed to reduce "
by two thirds its imports
".
"
Europe wants to turn its back on Russian gas
", also headlines
Le Soir,
which specifies that the Commission proposes in particular to turn to "
other suppliers in Azerbaijan, Norway or even Algeria
".
And beyond Europe, this “
embargo will have enormous repercussions throughout the world
”, underlines the
Times
which fears “
an energy shock
”.
"
It's the whole West that will be harmed
," also believes the
Guardian
, which is particularly concerned about "
a surge in prices at the pump
."
A symbol of America, McDonald's is also leaving Russia
America determined "
to turn Russia into a real pariah
", says the
Washington Post
, with the withdrawal of its "
food diplomacy
": McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola "
thus suspending their activities in Russia under the increasing pressure of the public opinion, ” the
Post
explains
.
While "
the first sign of a thaw between East and West was the opening of a McDonald's in Budapest in August 89 ",
El Pais
also points out
, "
the closure of its 850 restaurants in Russia is the symbol of a world that slams the door in the country of Vladimir Putin
".
Beyond the symbol, it is "
a simple question of financial calculation
", tells us
Le Temps
, which explains that for a company, "
doing business with an aggressor who kills thousands of people in Ukraine, is to take the risk of tarnishing its reputation, and possibly of suffering calls for a boycott far beyond Russia
”.
After “
Ikea, Zara, Louis Vuitton
”, among others, the disappearance of foreign companies in Russia sounds “
like a return to the Soviet era
”, comments
Le Soir
.
The United States is still reluctant to supply planes to the Ukrainian army
It is "
a rare disagreement between NATO allies
", explains the
New York Times
, "
the United States rejected a Polish proposal to provide combat aircraft for use in Ukraine
".
The proposal was, however, American in origin, it consisted of supplying Ukraine with “
the 28 Mig-29s of the Polish army in exchange for American F16s
”.
But the Polish decision to first transfer "
these planes to an American base in Germany
" was deemed "
untenable
" by the Pentagon, reports the American news site
The Hill
.
The issue will be discussed by US Vice President Kamala Harris, “
who begins a visit to Poland today
,” notes the
New York Times
.
For its part, the
Times
warns against “
the risk of a new confrontation
”.
“
If NATO planes piloted by Ukrainians fight the Russians, this could potentially drag the Alliance into a direct conflict with Moscow
,” warns the British daily.
Airbnb overwhelmed with requests for reservations in Ukraine
“
World rushes to book Airbnbs in Ukraine
,” headlines the
Wall Street Journal
, which reports that a social media campaign has generated “
thousands of bookings across the war-torn country
.”
In Kiev, Kharkiv, Mariupol or even Sumy, the hosts "
book accommodation which they obviously do not intend to occupy, but as a sign of solidarity in order to send money to Ukrainians under bombardment
".
“
Whether the customer arrives or not, the money is delivered within 24
hours to the owners
”, underlines the American daily, specifying that “
American customers of Airbnb have already reserved 34,000 nights, 8,000 for the British
” .
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