The Czech prime minister said Friday that the EU presidency held by his country would convene urgent talks to deal with the current energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Czech presidency “will convene an urgent meeting of energy ministers to discuss specific emergency measures to address the energy situation,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Twitter.

The 27-nation bloc, which has accused Moscow of waging an “energy war”, plans to cut gas consumption by 15 percent between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 to cope with the crisis.

Britain’s energy regulator, Ofgem, said on Friday bills would rise by 80% on average from October as Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi said he was working on support options for households and businesses.

Zahawi said Russian President Vladimir Putin was using energy as a weapon and would continue to do so, so Britain needed to remain resilient for the long term and make sure any help was not just a sticking plaster.

Source: Agencies