In his nightly address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's was using energy to blackmail Europe.

He said Russia's decision to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday showed "no one in Europe can hope to maintain any normal economic cooperation with Russia".

"Russia considers not only gas, but any trade as a weapon. It is just waiting for the moment when one or another trade area can be used," he said.

Zelensky added that Russia "sees a united Europe as a target" and the sooner everyone in the continent agrees that they cannot depend on Russia for trade, the sooner there will be stability.

He also welcomed a deal with the EU to suspend duties and quotas on Ukraine's exports, saying Russia wanted to create chaos in global markets - especially for food.

"Ukrainian exports would help stabilise markets and support the country's economy during the crisis," he added.

(Source: BBC)