Earlier, the European Parliament supported the expansion of the EU taxonomy, a classifier that determines which energy projects will receive additional funding and support. Natural gas and nuclear power were added to it.

"Putin is happily rubbing his hands today. 361 MEPs who voted for and abstained have just handed him a huge gift, calling gas and nuclear energy "green" projects," Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun said.

Svetlana Krakovskaya, a Ukrainian climatologist and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said that the conflict in Ukraine is funded by "climate-warming fossil fuels."

"I'm in shock. <...> The European Parliament has just voted to increase the financing of fossil gas from Russia by billions of dollars. How does this fit in with Europe's position to protect our planet and support Ukraine?" - she said.

Germany, which receives a third of its gas from Russia, demanded that natural gas be included in the taxonomy, which means that the country "can continue to send billions to Moscow," the Daily Express emphasizes.

As the newspaper notes, Berlin is trying to justify its position, arguing that gas should be used as a transitional fuel that will help Europe get away from the dirtiest energy sources on the way to zero emissions.