1. Macron criticized for saying Moscow needs Western “guarantees” to end war
French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement on Saturday that the West should consider how to address Russia’s need for security guarantees to end the war in Ukraine has drawn harsh criticism from some quarters, rejecting the option of make concessions to the Kremlin after almost 10 months of war. .
In an interview with French TV channel TF1 recorded during his state visit to the United States last week, Macron said Europe must prepare its future security architecture.
“This means that one of the essential points that we have to address, as President (Vladimir) Putin has always said, is the fear of NATO coming to your doorstep and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia,” he said. said Macron.
Former Lithuanian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius criticized the idea that concessions should be made to the Kremlin.
“Russia has all security guarantees if it does not attack, annex or occupy its neighbors,” Linkevicius said on Twitter on Sunday.
“If anyone wants to create a new security architecture that allows a terrorist state to continue its methods of intimidation, they should think again that (it) won’t fly.”
2. Biden rejects Putin talks as EU, G7 back crude price cap
US President Joe Biden has no intention of talking to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine as there are currently no conditions for such discussions, the House said on Friday White.
“We’re not at a point where talks appear to be a fruitful avenue to approach right now,” national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
His comments underscored the chasm between Ukraine and its main backer Russia over negotiations more than nine months into the war sparked by Putin’s invasion that has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions and destroyed cities and towns .
As part of a multi-pronged international campaign to curb Russia’s ability to wage war, the Group of Seven (G7) nations and Australia said on Friday they had agreed to a price cap of $60 a barrel (56 .9 €) for crude oil from the Russian Sea.
The G7 and Australia said in a statement that the cap would come into effect on or shortly after December 5. It aims to reduce Russia’s revenue from selling oil while preventing a rise in world prices.
EU governments, who have resolved their differences and agreed to the cap, will now have to formally approve it over the weekend.
3. Putin calls out Scholz, says Western approach to Ukraine war ‘destructive’
Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a phone call on Friday that the German and Western line with Ukraine was “destructive” and urged Berlin to rethink its approach, the Kremlin said.
His reading of the call served to highlight the chasm between Russia and Western governments over Ukraine, although Moscow and Washington have said in the past 24 hours that they are open in principle to talks.
“Attention was drawn to the destructive line of Western states, including Germany, which are pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons and training the Ukrainian army,” the Kremlin said.
“All this, as well as comprehensive political and financial support to Ukraine, leads to the fact that Kyiv completely rejects the idea of any negotiations.”
Kyiv says peace talks are only possible if Russia stops attacking Ukrainian territory and withdraws its troops from Ukrainian soil.
After Putin proclaimed the annexation of Ukrainian territory in September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said talks would not be possible as long as Putin remains in power, although Ukraine has not emphasized that condition in recent weeks.
Putin “asked the German side to reconsider its approaches in the context of the events in Ukraine,” the Kremlin added.
He said Putin defended Russia’s missile strikes against targets in Ukraine as a forced response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure, including a key bridge between Russia and Crimea.
He also said Russia should be allowed to participate in investigations into what he called the “terrorist” attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea.
4. Officials from Moscow and Minsk meet to discuss ‘military cooperation and security’
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks in Minsk on Saturday, where they reportedly discussed military cooperation and regional security.
Russia and Belarus are ready for peace, but Ukraine seems unwilling to negotiate, according to Minsk’s leader.
Speaking at the meeting, Lukashenko said that “if they want to fight to the end, that is their business, their right”, and added that “at the moment neither I nor our special services see them willing to maintain negotiations appropriate”.
Although Lukashenko has consistently said he will not go to war in Ukraine, Moscow has in the past used Belarus as a launching pad for its invasion.
Russia and Belarus are formally part of a “union state” and are closely allied economically and militarily.
5. Russia ready to harass Bakhmut, UK MoD says
Russia likely plans to encircle the Donetsk Oblast city of Bakhmut with tactical advances to the north and south, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.
Capturing the city would have limited operational value but may allow Russia to threaten Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the ministry added in a daily intelligence update.
“There is a realistic possibility that the capture of Bakhmut has become primarily a symbolic and political goal for Russia,” the ministry said in the update posted on Twitter.
Russian forces kept up rocket attacks on infrastructure and airstrikes against Ukrainian troop positions along the contact line, Ukraine’s general staff said on Friday, adding that Moscow’s military push s ‘has targeted a dozen cities, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka, key Russian targets in the beleaguered east. .
Moscow’s troops have been bombing critical infrastructure in Ukraine since October, leaving millions without electricity in the middle of the cold winter.
6. Exiled Russian TV station operating in Latvia investigated for helping Russian troops
The statements by independent Russian television station Dozhd raised suspicions that it was helping Moscow’s troops take part in the war in Ukraine and triggered an investigation by Latvia’s state security service on Friday.
Dozhd, or TV Rain, is broadcasting from Latvia and elsewhere after Russian authorities forced the closure of its Moscow studio because it had deliberately spread false information about the actions of Russian troops in Ukraine.
The state security service said that on Thursday, a moderator of a Dozhd news broadcast had expressed hope that the station had already helped provide equipment and basic amenities to many Russian soldiers.
It is not clear whether the statement meant that the television network helped to improve their conditions through its reporting or whether it actively participated in the acquisition of such equipment.
“The statements … raise suspicions that the TV channel provides assistance to soldiers of the Russian occupation forces,” he said in a press release.
7. Estonia will buy the US-made HIMARS rocket system
NATO member and neighbor Russia Estonia is boosting its defense capabilities by acquiring an advanced US rocket artillery system in the Baltic country’s biggest ever arms procurement project, they said on Saturday defense officials.
A deal signed on Friday for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is worth more than $200 million (189.8 million euros) and includes equipment such as ammunition and rockets, as well as training.
The package includes HIMARS rockets with a range of 70 to 300 kilometers, the Estonian Defense Investment Center said in a statement. Lockheed Martin Corp. is expected to make the first deliveries in 2024.
“The HIMARS multiple rocket launchers are an important new step in the development of Estonia’s defense capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Kaarel Mäesalu, head of the capability development department of the Estonian Defense Forces.
“This makes it possible to decisively influence the enemy even before coming into contact with our infantry units.”
Estonia’s Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Lithuania, have or are in the process of acquiring their own HIMARS.
Washington provided Ukraine with rocket launchers during Russia’s invasion of the country.
Estonia’s Ministry of Defense said the HIMARS systems “have helped destroy Russian military ammunition depots, transport nodes and command and control centers with extreme precision beyond the range of the shells it has used Ukraine”.