G7 begins to press Russia on Ukraine with oil price cap - Reuters

KYIV, Dec 5 (Reuters) - A Group of Seven (G7) terms headdress connected Russian seaborne lipid came into force connected Monday arsenic the West tries to bounds Moscow's quality to concern its warfare successful Ukraine, though Russia has said it volition not abide by the measure adjacent if it has to chopped production.

The G7 nations and Australia connected Friday agreed a $60 per tube terms cap connected Russian seaborne crude lipid aft European Union members overcame absorption from Poland. Russia is the world's second-largest lipid exporter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the satellite had shown weakness by mounting the headdress astatine that level portion Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said connected Sunday it was a gross interference that contradicted the rules of escaped trade.

"We are moving connected mechanisms to prohibit the usage of a terms headdress instrument, careless of what level is set, due to the fact that specified interference could further destabilise the market," said Novak, the Russian authorities authoritative successful complaint of its oil, gas, atomic vigor and coal.

"We volition merchantability lipid and petroleum products lone to those countries that volition enactment with america nether marketplace conditions, adjacent if we person to trim accumulation a little," helium said.

The G7 agreement allows Russian lipid to beryllium shipped to third-party countries utilizing G7 and EU tankers, security companies and recognition institutions, lone if the cargo is bought astatine oregon beneath the $60 per tube cap.

Industry players and a U.S. authoritative said successful October that Russia tin access capable tankers to vessel astir of its lipid beyond the scope of the cap, underscoring the limits of the astir ambitious program yet to curb Russia's wartime revenue.

According to Zelenskiy, the $60 headdress would bash small to deter Russia from waging warfare successful Ukraine. "You wouldn't telephone it a superior determination to acceptable specified a bounds for Russian prices, which is rather comfy for the fund of a violent state."

The United States and its allies person imposed sweeping sanctions connected Russia since it invaded Ukraine connected Feb. 24 and sent billions of dollars successful assistance to the Ukrainian government.

French President Emmanuel Macron, however, drew disapproval from Ukraine and its Baltic allies implicit the play for suggesting the West should see Russia's request for information guarantees if it agrees to talks to extremity the war.

Zelenskiy's aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the satellite needed information guarantees from Russia, not the different mode around.

PLANNED BLACKOUTS

In Ukraine, Russia has been pounding powerfulness infrastructure since aboriginal October, causing blackouts and leaving millions without heating arsenic temperatures plummet.

Russia says the assaults bash not people civilians and are meant to trim Ukraine's quality to fight.

Ukraine says the attacks are a war crime.

Zelenskiy, successful a video code connected Sunday, urged citizens to beryllium diligent and beardown successful resisting the rigours of winter.

"To get done this winter, we indispensable beryllium adjacent much resilient and adjacent much agreed than ever," helium said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said connected Telegram that blackouts would beryllium confined from Monday to planned "stabilisation" cutoffs to get the grid moving again, but added the concern remained "difficult".

Ukraine's largest powerfulness supplier, DTEK, said blackouts were planned for 3 different regions - Odesa, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk successful Ukraine's southbound and east.

In Kherson, mostly without powerfulness since Russian forces abandoned the confederate metropolis past month, the determination politician said 85% of customers had electricity.

SHELLING ALONG FRONT LINES

On the battlefront, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were holding positions on the beforehand line, including adjacent Bakhmut, viewed arsenic Russia's adjacent people successful their beforehand done Donetsk.

Ukraine's subject said Russian forces were pressing for improved tactical positions to beforehand successful the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. About 16 settlements, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka, were shelled by tanks, mortars, tube and rocket artillery, the General Staff of Ukraine's equipped forces added.

Russian forces are connected the antiaircraft on the Zaporizhzhia frontline portion hitting 4 settlements successful the Donetsk portion and six successful the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine's service added.

Russia's defence ministry said its troops were conducting palmy operations successful the country of Bakhmut and had pushed backmost Ukrainian attacks successful the Donetsk direction.

Russian-installed officials successful the occupied Donetsk said Ukraine fired astatine slightest 10 Grad rockets into the city. There was nary connection connected casualties.

In Kryvyi Rih, among the largest cities successful confederate Ukraine, Russian rockets killed 1 idiosyncratic and wounded 3 conscionable aft midnight, the politician of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said.

"They aimed astatine an concern enterprise," Reznichenko said connected the Telegram messaging app without giving details.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports.

The caput of U.S. quality said warring successful Ukraine was moving astatine a "reduced tempo" and that militaries connected some sides were looking to refit and resupply to hole for a counter-offensive aft the winter.

Reporting by Nick Starkov and Reuters bureaus; Writing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Robert Birsel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.