War in Ukraine: Zelensky calls for a tougher cap on the price of oil

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deemed insufficient, Saturday, December 3, the cap on the price of a barrel of Russian oil at 60 dollars, decided the day before by the countries of the EU, the G7 and Australia not to finance the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said it was not a "serious decision", with the price cap proving to be only slightly lower than the current price per barrel, which hovers around $65. In the morning, kyiv was still satisfied with the creation of this binding tool, even if the impact turned out to be weak in the short term, and which could be adjusted over time, wanting to believe sooner or later in the " destruction" of the Russian economy under the weight of international sanctions.

But the Ukrainian government then suggested a price cap twice as low, "to destroy the Russian economy even faster," said the presidential cabinet. In the evening, President Zelensky adopted a much more critical position towards Westerners. "Russia has already caused colossal losses to all the countries of the world by deliberately destabilizing the energy market, he noted. "And the world cannot dare to carry out a real energy disarmament" of Moscow, has He regretted. "It's a weak position. " The Kremlin for its part reaffirmed not to accept this ceiling, while Vladimir Putin had warned that he would no longer deliver oil to countries which would adopt this measure.

Emmanuel Macron announced on Saturday that he would speak "soon" with Vladimir Putin on security issues around "civilian nuclear" in Ukraine. Earlier in the week, he had exchanged "many hours" with US President Joe Biden on the war in Ukraine, and "the security architecture in which we want to live tomorrow". An interview is also scheduled this Sunday, December 4 with Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “On these bases I will be able to have a specific discussion soon with President Putin on the subject of civilian nuclear power,” he added, specifying that he would speak first with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the French president, "one of the essential points" for Vladimir Putin, "is the fear that NATO will come to its doors, it is the deployment of weapons that can threaten Russia", he said. -he explained on TF1. "This subject will be part of the subjects for peace (...). How we protect our allies and the member states (of NATO, editor's note) by giving guarantees for its own security to Russia the day it returns around from the table" of the negotiations, he argued.

The last official meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin dates back to September 11. This Friday, the Russian President spoke by telephone to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the latter calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine to reach a "diplomatic solution". With Olaf Scholz, "we coordinate very closely and I think it's very good that we have regular contact with each other" with Vladimir Putin, underlined Emmanuel Macron.

The battle around Bakhmout, a city in the Donetsk region that the Russians have been trying in vain to conquer since the summer, is intensifying. The situation is "difficult", according to a bulletin of the Ukrainian presidency. This battle has taken on an even more symbolic importance for Moscow in recent days as its conquest would come after a series of humiliating defeats, with the retreats from Kharkiv, in the North-East, in September, and Kherson, in the South, in November.

The Kremlin said on Saturday that Vladimir Putin would go "in due course" to Donbass, the area in eastern Ukraine which he annexed at the end of September and in which the Donetsk oblast is located, without however that his army does not fully control it.

Ukrainian authorities have again urged civilians to hold firm despite deteriorating living conditions. Several times a day, power cuts plunge millions of Ukrainians into darkness, not to mention the cold that settles in their homes. Temperatures in some areas have been around -5°C in recent days, and the perceived temperature can be even lower.

In Kherson, also in the South, "the electricity networks, which were out of order because of enemy bombardments, are again connected" and "75% of Kherson has electricity again", welcomed the head of the regional administration.