Russia will “not accept” a price cap on its oil. and analyzing how to respond, the Kremlin said in comments released Saturday in response to a deal by Western powers aimed at limiting a key source of funding for its war in Ukraine. The Russian sea oil price cap was adopted by the G7 and Australia after being agreed by EU countries.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the price of 60 dollars Capping Russian oil at sea is not serious and will do little to deter Russia from waging a war in Ukraine. “It is only a matter of time before more powerful tools have to be used anyway. It’s a shame that time is lost,” he said in a video statement on Saturday.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the cap will particularly benefit low- and middle-income countries, which are bearing the brunt of high energy and food prices. “The price cap will immediately cut (President Vladimir) Putin’s main source of income,” Yellen said in a statement.
Russia’s embassy in the US slammed what it called the West’s “dangerous” move, saying Moscow will continue to find buyers for its oil.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin accused Russia of “willful cruelty” on Saturday in his war in Ukraine and said Moscow is deliberately targeting civilians. “With deliberate cruelty, Russia is targeting civilians and civilian targets,” Austin told the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.
Ukraine imposes sanctions on 10 high-ranking clerics linked to a pro-Moscow church for agreeing to cooperate with the Russian occupation authorities or for justifying the invasion of Moscow, the security service said on Saturday. The announcement is the latest in a series of moves against a Ukrainian branch of the Orthodox Church historically linked to Moscow. The Orthodox Church in Russia itself supports the war.
Eighteen diplomatic missions of Ukraine in twelve countries received bloody packages, including animal parts, in what Ukraine has described as a “terror and intimidation campaign”. Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said the packages were sent at the same time from a European country, which he could not disclose while the investigation is ongoing.
The West should consider how to meet Russia’s need for security guarantees if Vladimir Putin agrees to negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, said French President Emmanuel Macron. He said Europe must address Putin’s fears of “Nato coming right at his doors” and the use of weapons that could threaten Russia while Europe prepares its future security architecture, Portal reports.
The Ukrainian army has recaptured 13 settlements in the Luhansk region, the country’s easternmost oblast, according to the head of the regional administration, Serhiy Haidai. He said Russian forces were still firing artillery at the villages. Doctors are due to visit next week and firewood will be organized for residents, Haidai said via telegram.
Russian forces are concentrating most of their forces on capturing the city of Bakhmut in Donetskaccording to the British Ministry of Defence.
Ukraine has arrested eight people for stealing a mural by the elusive British street artist Banksy from a wall in the Kyiv suburbs, authorities said. The stencil image of a person in a nightgown and gas mask holding a fire extinguisher next to the charred remains of a window in the town of Hostomel disappeared on Friday, they said.