Russia calls claims that Western weapons could lead Kiev to victory against Moscow "empty fantasies" as US vows to support Ukraine's fight against Moscow — now in its 198th day.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova says the introduction of a price cap would ultimately have consequences for the West.
(Reuters)
Friday, September 9, 2022Russia warns the West over energy price cap
Russia has warned the West that plans to try to cap the price of Russia's oil and gas exports in retaliation for the conflict in Ukraine would fail and ultimately lead to the instability of the United States and Europe.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the West did not understand how the move would ultimately impact their own countries.
"The collective West does not understand: the introduction of a cap on prices for Russian energy resources will lead to a slippery floor under its own feet," Zakharova said.
Russian shelling kills eight, injures 17 in eastern Ukraine
Russian attacks on the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut have killed eight people and left 17 injured, the regional governor said, as Ukraine pushes to recapture swathes of Donbass.
Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said that of Russian attacks on the greater Donbass region the city of Bakhmut "suffered the worst damage".
"The Russians killed eight people there and wounded another 17," Kyrylenko said in a statement on social media. He added that residential buildings, shops, a cultural building and an administrative centre were damaged, as well as a marketplace.
Türkiye's President Erdogan says he wants grain from Russia to be exported following Moscow's complaints that Western sanctions were impeding its grain and fertiliser exports despite a Türkiye-brokered deal.
Russian strike hits hospital, people wounded: Ukraine
A Russian air strike has hit a hospital in Ukraine's northeastern region of Sumy, destroying the building and wounding people, the region's governor said.
"Russian aviation, without crossing the Ukrainian border, fired at a hospital. The premises were destroyed, there are wounded people," the official, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, said on Telegram.
The hospital is located in the Velyka Pysarivka district, which borders Russia, he said. Moscow denies targeting civilians.
Kremlin declines to comment on reports of Ukrainian successes near Kharkiv
The Kremlin has declined to comment on reports of a successful Ukrainian offensive in the Kharkiv region, referring questions to the Russian Defence Ministry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukrainian troops had "liberated dozens of settlements" and reclaimed more than 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles) of territory in the east and south in the past week.
Russia is preventing access to Ukraine war prisoners: UN
The head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has accused Russia of not allowing access to prisoners of war, voicing concern amid evidence that some have been subject to torture and ill-treatment.
"The Russian Federation has not provided access to prisoners of war held on its territory," Matilda Bogner told a Geneva press briefing.
"This is all the more worrying since we have documented that prisoners of war in the power of the Russian Federation and held by the Russian Federation's armed forces or by affiliated armed groups have suffered torture and ill-treatment." Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs.
Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova says Russia had intended to take Ukraine within a week, but that Kiev will not bargain over its territory.
Watch the full interview: https://t.co/hnZpeZ4UhOpic.twitter.com/qYOtSLnXuz
Europe can get rid of Russian energy 'chokehold': Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Russia's war in Ukraine presented Europe with the opportunity to finally end its dependence on Russian energy.
"There's also a tremendous opportunity … finally once and for all, to move away from this dependence on Russia, to get rid of the chokehold that Russia has on Europe, using energy as a weapon, and to diversify supply, diversify routes," Blinken said.
Europe, which is heavily dependent on Russian supplies, has accused Moscow of using energy as blackmail in response to sanctions over Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
Price cap won't matter much for supply of Russian gas: Estonia
Any price cap EU countries might set on gas from Russia probably won't make a large difference on the supply of it to Europe, Estonia's energy minister Riina Sikkut has said.
"Very little that Russia does depends on our decisions. If Russia wants to limit the energy resources Europe gets, Putin will do it", Sikkut said before an emergency meeting with other energy ministers from the EU bloc.
"Russia has said if you want our gas, take down the sanctions. It is blackmail. We cannot back down, we have to be united, we have to have the political will to help Ukraine win."
EU price cap on Russian gas would trigger immediate cut-off in supplies: Hungary
A proposed European price cap on Russian gas goes against European and Hungarian interests, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said ahead of the emergency meeting of European Union energy ministers.
Szijjarto, who met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow in July, seeking 700 million cubic metres of gas on top of an existing long-term supply deal, said the proposed price cap would trigger an immediate cut-off in supplies to Europe.
Gazprom started to ramp up supplies to Hungary last month, adding to previously agreed deliveries via the Turkstream pipeline. Russia supplies Hungary with most of its oil and gas needs.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4z2Rmnvjkw[/embed]
Russia, US pull no punches over arms support for Ukraine at UN
Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has called the meeting to discuss threats to peace caused by foreign governments supplying arms and military goods to Ukraine.
"The Russian army consistently, with minimal risk for its soldiers and civilians, is destroying not only the old weaponry of Soviet models, which the Eastern European countries are discharging but also the modern NATO weapons," Nebenzia said.
US deputy ambassador Richard Mills called the meeting "a transparent attempt" by Russia to distract from Wednesday's meeting on the forced displacement of Ukrainians.
Mills said Russia's claims that the US and the West are escalating and prolonging the conflict in Ukraine "are false," calling Moscow's role "as the sole aggressor in what is an unnecessary and brutal war, for which the world is paying a collective price."
For live updates from Thursday (September 8), click here
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
