Putin says ‘unfriendly countries’ must buy Russian oil and gas in rubles.

Home » Business » Putin says ‘unfriendly countries’ must buy Russian oil and gas in rubles.

The British government announced measures to help people cope with rising prices, including cutting gas prices at the pump.Credit…Mary Turner for The New York TimesIn Britain, the economic shock waves of the war in Ukraine are exacerbating a squeeze on household budgets and heightening fears of a cost of living crisis. The British government on Wednesday announced some measures to help people cope with the rising prices, which are at their highest level in three decades, including cutting gas prices.Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the Exchequer, said that the sanctions on President Vladimir V. Putin’s government and the efforts to isolate Russia were also weighing on the British economy. This was most acutely felt in the cost of living, he said.“The actions we have taken to sanction Putin’s regime are not cost-free for us at home,” Mr. Sunak told lawmakers as he announced an update to the Treasury’s tax and budget plans on Wednesday. Hours earlier, the Office for National Statistics said inflation was at its highest level since 1992, with prices rising by 6.2 percent from a y …