This week, US president Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The European Union opted to phase out gas imports only.

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined by the New Statesman’s environment and sustainability editor, Philippa Nuttall, in Brussels to discuss the EU’s more cautious approach, the spike in fuel prices globally, and how green energy technologies may offer a solution in the scramble for energy.

Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks what we should make of the argument that a Nato intervention in Ukraine would lead Vladimir Putin to respond with nuclear weapons. Does this allow Putin to do whatever he wants and undermine the whole basis of Nato?

Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 a week.

Further reading:

Emily Tamkin interviews former Russian foreign minister Adrei Kozyrev

Ido Vock on why a no-fly zone over Ukraine risks igniting war between Nato and Russia

Philippa Nuttall writes that switching off Russian gas could put the planet on the road to a green economy

Philippa Nuttall on the risks of nuclear power in an increasingly destabilised world

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