Live: Russia ‘will not accept’ oil export price cap, Kremlin warns – FRANCE 24

5 p.m.: All EU governments complete approval of Russian oil price cap

All European Union governments on Saturday completed written approval of a $60-a-barrel price cap for Russian oil transported by sea, the European Commission said, paving the way for its publication in the Official Journal. of the EU and its entry into force on 5 December.

The measure, a G7 idea, comes on top of the EU embargo on imports of Russian maritime crude which also comes into force on December 5 and aims to allow oil-related services to third countries only for cargoes below the ceiling. .

“The G7 and all EU member states have taken a decision that will hit Russia’s revenues even harder and reduce its ability to wage war on Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula said. von der Leyen, in a statement.

4:02 p.m .: Defense ministers of Russia and Belarus hold talks in Minsk

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has held talks with his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin, the official Belta news agency announced on Saturday.

The two sides discussed bilateral military cooperation and amended an agreement on “the joint provision of regional security”, he said, without providing further details.

Belarus has said it will not enter the war in Ukraine, but President Alexander Lukashenko has in the past ordered the deployment of troops with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, citing threats to Belarus from Kyiv and of the West.

3:57 p.m .: Kremlin says Putin will visit eastern Ukraine ‘in due time’

Russian President Vladimir Putin will “in due course” visit the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, which he claims to have annexed, the Kremlin told Russian news agencies on Saturday.

“It will happen in due course, of course. This is a region of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, without indicating when it might happen.

3:02 p.m .: Russia ‘will not accept’ oil price cap, says Kremlin

Russia “will not accept” a price cap imposed by the G7 and its allies on Russian oil, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

“We will not accept this cap,” Russian news agencies quoted Peskov as saying. He added that Moscow was “analyzing” the decision and would then reveal how it intended to respond.

A coalition of Western countries led by the G7 group of nations agreed on Friday to cap the price of Russian oil transported by sea at $60 a barrel in a bid to limit Moscow’s revenue and limit its ability to finance its invasion of Ukraine.

2:29 p.m .: The “points of invincibility” are “symbols” of the Ukrainian resistance

“The noise you hear behind me is coming from a generator, providing heat and power to this tent behind me in central Kherson, which has been without power for three weeks now,” Robert Parsons reported. editor-in-chief of FRANCE 24. “People can come here, warm up, have a cup of coffee, charge their mobile phone, connect. And they are called “points of invincibility”; there are about 4,000 across the country.

“They have become symbols of Ukrainian resistance to Russian efforts to destroy their morale and crush their electrical system.”

2:10 p.m.: UK crime agency arrests ‘wealthy Russian’ for money laundering

Britain’s National Crime Agency said on Saturday it had arrested a “wealthy Russian businessman” on suspicion of money laundering and other crimes as part of a crackdown on corrupt oligarchs.

The unidentified 58-year-old was among three men arrested by officers from the Anti-Kleptocracy Cell (CKC) on Thursday at a “multi-million pound residence” in London, the NCA said.

He was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office (Home Office) and conspiracy to commit perjury, the NCA said.

1:07 p.m.: Estonia to buy HIMARS rocket launchers amid Russia fears

Estonia has agreed to buy six HIMARS rocket systems worth more than $200 million from the United States, the national defense investment agency announced on Saturday. This is the largest arms purchase in the country’s history.

Russia’s neighbor Estonia has increased its defense spending since Moscow invaded Ukraine, as have its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania.

The HIMARS systems delivered to Ukraine are widely seen as one of the most effective tools in its arsenal as the pro-Western country fights back against Russian troops.

10:36 am: Kherson officials facilitate river crossings from Russian-held territory

Officials in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine said on Saturday they would help citizens evacuate parts of Russian-occupied territory on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, amid fears of an escalation fights.

Yaroslav Yanushevych, the regional governor, said authorities were temporarily lifting the crossing ban to allow Ukrainians living in villages across the river to cross the Dnipro during the day and to a designated point.

“The evacuation is necessary due to the possible escalation of hostilities in this area,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian troops liberated the city of Kherson, located on the west bank of the Dnipro, from Russian occupation on November 11, but forces from Moscow still control the rest of the region on the east bank.

10:25 am: Oil price cap will ‘destroy’ Russian economy, says Ukraine

Ukraine’s presidency said on Saturday that a $60 cap on the price of Russian oil agreed by the EU, G7 and Australia will “destroy” Russia’s economy.

“We still achieve our goal and the Russian economy will be destroyed, and it will pay and be responsible for all its crimes,” Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Telegram. But a cap of “$30 would have destroyed it faster,” he added.

9:46 a.m .: Russia: price cap is “dangerous” and will not curb demand for our oil

Russia said on Saturday it would continue to find buyers for its oil, despite what it called a “dangerous” attempt by Western governments to introduce a price cap on its oil exports.

A coalition of Western countries led by the G7 group of nations agreed on Friday to cap the price of Russian oil transported by sea at $60 a barrel, in a bid to limit Moscow’s revenue and limit its ability to finance its invasion from Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Kremlin officials have repeatedly said they will not supply oil to countries that enforce the price cap.

In comments posted on Telegram, the Russian Embassy in the United States criticized what it called an “overhaul” of free market principles and reiterated that its oil would continue to be in demand despite the measures. “Measures like these will inevitably lead to growing uncertainty and impose higher costs on consumers of raw materials,” he said.

“Regardless of current flirtations with the dangerous and illegitimate instrument, we are confident that Russian oil will continue to be in demand.”

9:00 a.m .: The situation is “rather grim”, according to the Parsons report of FRANCE24 from Mykolaiv

Reporting from Mykolaiv, FRANCE24’s Rob Parsons said the situation in the southern Ukrainian city is dire after constant Russian shelling and an almost total lack of electricity due to Russian attacks on the electricity infrastructure of the Ukraine.

8:02 am: Russia likely planning to encircle Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, UK says

Russia is likely planning to encircle the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast with tactical advances north and south, the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. Capturing the city would have limited operational value, but it could potentially allow Russia to threaten Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the ministry added in a daily intelligence update.

“There is a realistic possibility that capturing Bakhmut has become primarily a symbolic political objective for Russia,” the ministry said in the update posted on Twitter.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)