Ukraine-Russia war latest: Nato member Romania evacuates villages after Putin’s attack on tanker
Three Romanian villages have been evacuated after Russia attacked a Turkish LNG tanker off the coast of neighbouring Ukraine on Monday.
The MR Orinda suffered significant damage during a Russian strike in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region and scores of people were evacuated, mostly from the border village of Tulcea in the Nato member state, over fears it could explode.
It was hit during the offloading of liquefied petroleum gas at Izmail port, Turkey said, with the attack coming one day after Volodymyr Zelensky signed a deal to import US liquefied natural gas through the area.
Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister, said the incident was tantamount to Russia “attacking Nato”.
“Putin is expanding his Ukrainian war to dissuade us from defending European freedom,” he warned.
The incident came as Emmanuel Macron hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Palace in France, where the pair announced a deal to provide Kyiv with 100 Rafale fighter jets.
The French president said he hoped that a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine could be struck as early as next year, or before the French presidential election in April 2027.
