Europe (bbabo.net), - The estimated price of gas futures in Europe on Monday, August 22, overcame the mark of $ 2,861.6 per 1 thousand cubic meters. m and thus reached a historical maximum since 1996. This is evidenced by the data of the London Stock Exchange ICE. September futures opened at $2,766.5, up 9% from the previous trading day's settlement price. By 9:16 Moscow time, they increased by 12.7% - to $ 2862. On August 19, Gazprom announced a shutdown for maintenance of the only Nord Stream turbine for three days - from August 31 to September 2. Immediately after the announcement of the suspension of the turbine, the price of gas in Europe rose by 8.3%.

The prices for liquefied natural gas on the spot market in Asia on Monday exceeded $60 per 1 million BTU (British Thermal Unit, British thermal unit), which is three times higher than last year's level. This is evidenced by CME Group data on the JKM (Japan Korea Marker Platts) index. The index reflects the cost of LNG supplies to Japan, South Korea, China and the island of Taiwan. LNG prices in Asia follow the growth in the cost of LNG, as well as pipeline gas in Europe following Gazprom's announcement that supplies via Nord Stream will be completely halted from August 31 to September 2 due to the repair of the only gas pumping unit remaining in operation. Oil, Gas and Metals Corporation (JOGMEC), Japan and South Korea, the world's largest LNG importers, are trying to maximize their stocks ahead of winter.

A document on international security guarantees for Ukraine may appear on August 29-30. This was stated by the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak after a meeting with advisers to the heads of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Hungary. He stressed that Kyiv considers security guarantees to be a “very important issue”, which the Ukrainian authorities constantly talk about with all partners. “By the end of this month [August], I think it’s the 29th or 30th, we can count on the appearance of the first document, recommendations on our group with Mr. [former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh] Rasmussen,” he said. According to Yermak, he has already read the text, and the document will be "very powerful." In early July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Rasmussen, along with Yermak, would lead a platform to develop security guarantees for Kyiv.

Poland and Ukraine are developing a new bilateral treaty, Jakub Kumoch, head of the international policy bureau of the Office of the President of Poland, told reporters in Kyiv. "Poland and Ukraine are working on a new treaty that will further strengthen relations with each other, but, above all, Poland continues to provide assistance to Ukraine and will continue this assistance," PAP quoted Kumoch as saying. He believes that Poland "has no other choice" than to continue military assistance to Ukraine. “There is no other way out and another Polish policy. Poland has no other agenda in relation to Ukraine, it practically speaks the same language as Ukraine, because we understand that the defense of Ukraine is also the defense of Poland,” said the representative of the President of Poland.

The Bundeswehr (German armed forces) can no longer supply weapons and military equipment to Ukraine from its own stocks, the German Defense Ministry said, Spiegel reports. “With regard to supplies from the warehouses of the Bundeswehr, we have reached the acceptable limit,” said Defense Minister spokesman Christine Lambrecht, adding that the Bundeswehr could not be further weakened. Thus, the ministry commented on the article of three deputies of the Bundestag - Christian Klink (Social Democratic Party), Sarah Nanni and Alexander Muller (Free Democratic Party) - with a call to increase the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, including through the stocks of the Bundeswehr. They believe that it is necessary to "pull up" defense production, and the potential of the German army "can and should" go by the wayside, since "Ukraine's survival is in the interests of Germany's security policy." The office of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, commenting on the article, referred to his recent statements that Berlin is already supplying Ukraine with a large amount of weapons and it is important not to aggravate the conflict, the newspaper writes.The influential American newspaper Politico suggested that the United States is supplying Ukraine with more military aid than official Washington reports. As the publication writes in its material, last Friday a senior Pentagon official admitted at a briefing that the United States had been supplying HARM anti-radar missiles to Kyiv for some time. However, this kind of assistance has not been officially announced. “When we first announced the supply of HARM missiles, their mention in our official statement was not specific. We presented it in such a way that we deliver anti-radar capabilities, ”the military official said. In addition, unnamed sources of the newspaper said that the United States included Excalibur guided artillery shells in the latest package of military assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, Washington also preferred not to advertise this kind of step.

The German city of Schwedt has been swept by a wave of anger over a hasty oil embargo from Russia, writes Financial Times correspondent Guy Chazan. The author of the article noted that a large oil refinery is located in the city, which depends on Russian supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. According to him, the townspeople fear the closure of the refinery due to the decision of the authorities. Schwedt Mayor Annekathrin Hoppe called it a "truly nightmare scenario", explaining that it would lead to unemployment and energy problems. “Schwedt was overwhelmed by a wave of angermany agreed to the embargo. Some residents asked why the authorities did not follow the example of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which are also associated with Druzhba, but negotiated temporary delays for themselves, citing the lack of an alternative to Russian oil,” Shazan said. As the deputy of the Bundestag Jens Keppe, who lives in this settlement, told the newspaper, the townspeople believe that they have become "a bargaining chip in someone else's game."

Poland and Hungary have quarreled over disagreements over a Russian sting operation in Ukraine, writes Foreign Policy correspondent Amanda Coakley. According to her, Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki and Viktor Orban take diametrically opposed positions in assessing the conflict. As Daniel Hegedius, an expert with the German Marshall Fund, told the FT, "the Poles have ceased to trust their Hungarian partners." “The illiberal alliance in Central Europe between Hungary and Poland is coming to an end due to the difference in attitude towards the Russian special operation. Although Warsaw has become one of Ukraine's main supporters, calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow and increased military aid, Budapest has shied away from any meaningful measures and instead focused on maintaining good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin," Coakley said. The author of the publication believes that the deterioration of relations between Budapest and Warsaw could harm countries that disregard EU rules.

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