Ukraine war: Macron blasted; Russia 'to besiege Bakhmut'; and Estonia to boost defence capabilities - Euronews

1. Macron criticised for saying Moscow needs Western 'guarantees' to extremity the war

French President Emmanuel Macron's connection connected Saturday that the West should see however to code Russia's request for information guarantees to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine has drawn crisp disapproval from immoderate quarters, rejecting the enactment of making concessions to the Kremlin aft astir 10 months of the war.

In an interrogation with French TV presumption TF1 recorded during his authorities sojourn to the US past week, Macron said Europe needs to hole its aboriginal information architecture.

"This means that 1 of the indispensable points we indispensable code -- arsenic President (Vladimir) Putin has ever said -- is the fearfulness that NATO comes close up to its doors and the deployment of weapons that could endanger Russia," Macron said.

The likes of Lithuania's erstwhile curate of defence and overseas affairs, Linas Linkevicius, blasted the thought that concessions should beryllium made to the Kremlin.

"Russia has each information guarantees if it doesn’t attack, annex oregon inhabit its neighbours," Linkevicius said connected Twitter Sunday.

"If anyone wants to make a caller information architecture that allows a violent authorities to proceed its methods of intimidation, they should deliberation again, it volition (not) fly."

2. Biden rejects Putin talks arsenic EU and G7 backmost crude lipid terms cap

US President Joe Biden does not mean to talk to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, astir ending the Ukraine warfare arsenic conditions for specified discussions presently bash not exist, the White House said connected Friday.

"We're conscionable not astatine a constituent present wherever talks look to beryllium a fruitful avenue to attack close now," nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

His remark underscored the chasm betwixt Ukraine and its main backer and Russia connected negotiations much than 9 months into the warfare ignited by Putin's penetration that has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions and destroyed cities and towns.

As portion of a multi-pronged planetary run to curb Russia's quality to wage war, the Group of Seven (G7) nations and Australia connected Friday said they had agreed a $60 (€56.9) per tube terms headdress connected Russian seaborne crude oil.

The G7 and Australia said successful a connection the headdress would instrumentality effect connected 5 December oregon precise soon thereafter. It aims to trim Russia's income from selling lipid portion preventing a spike successful planetary prices.

EU governments, which person resolved their differences and agreed to the cap, volition present request to formally o.k. it implicit the weekend.

3. Putin calls Scholz, says Western attack to Ukraine warfare is 'destructive'

Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz successful a telephone telephone connected Friday that the German and Western enactment connected Ukraine was "destructive" and urged Berlin to rethink its approach, the Kremlin said.

Its readout of the telephone served to item the gulf betwixt Russia and Western governments implicit Ukraine, adjacent though Moscow and Washington person some said successful the past 24 hours that they are unfastened successful rule to talks.

"Attention was drawn to the destructive enactment of Western states, including Germany, which are pumping the Kyiv authorities with weapons and grooming the Ukrainian military," the Kremlin said.

"All this, arsenic good arsenic broad governmental and fiscal enactment for Ukraine, leads to the information that Kyiv wholly rejects the thought of ​​any negotiations."

Kyiv says bid talks are imaginable lone if Russia stops attacking Ukrainian territory and withdraws its troops from Ukrainian soil.

After Putin proclaimed the annexation of Ukrainian territory successful September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said talks would not beryllium imaginable arsenic agelong arsenic Putin remains successful power, though Ukraine has not emphasised that information successful caller weeks.

Putin "called connected the German broadside to reconsider its approaches successful the discourse of the Ukrainian events", the Kremlin added.

It said Putin defended Russia's rocket strikes connected targets successful Ukraine arsenic a forced effect to Ukrainian attacks connected Russian infrastructure, including a cardinal span betwixt Russia and Crimea.

He besides said Russia should beryllium allowed to enactment successful investigations into what it called the "terrorist" attacks connected the Nord Stream state pipelines nether the Baltic Sea.

4. Moscow and Minsk officials conscionable to sermon 'military practice and security'

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks successful Minsk connected Saturday, wherever they reportedly discussed subject practice and determination security.

Russia and Belarus are prepared for bid but Ukraine appears unwilling to negotiate, according to the Minsk leader.

Speaking astatine the meeting, Lukashenko stated that "if they privation to combat till the end, that's their business, their right", adding that "for the infinitesimal neither I nor our peculiar services spot them consenting to clasp due negotiations."

Although Lukashenko has consistently said helium volition not participate the warfare successful Ukraine, Moscow has successful the past utilized Belarus arsenic a staging station for its invasion.

Russia and Belarus are formally portion of a “union state” and are intimately allied economically and militarily.

5. Russia acceptable to besiege Bakhmut, UK MoD says

Russia is apt readying to encircle the Donetsk Oblast municipality of Bakhmut with tactical advances to the northbound and south, Britain's defence ministry said connected Saturday.

The seizure of the municipality would person constricted operational value, but it tin perchance let Russia to endanger Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the ministry added successful a regular quality update.

"There is simply a realistic anticipation that Bakhmut's seizure has go chiefly a symbolic, governmental nonsubjective for Russia," the ministry said successful the update posted connected Twitter.

Russian forces kept up rocket attacks connected infrastructure and airstrikes against Ukrainian unit positions on the interaction line, the Ukrainian wide unit said Friday, adding that Moscow’s subject propulsion has focused connected a twelve towns, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka — cardinal Russian targets successful the embattled east.

Moscow troops person been bombarding Ukraine's captious infrastructure since October, leaving millions without energy amid acold wintertime weather. 

6. Exiled Russian TV operating successful Latvia investigated for helping Russian troops

Statements made by the autarkic Russian TV presumption Dozhd raised suspicions it was helping Moscow troops taking portion successful the Ukraine warfare and triggered a probe by Latvia's authorities information work connected Friday.

Dozhd, oregon TV Rain, is broadcasting from Latvia and elsewhere aft Russian authorities forced the closure of its Moscow workplace connected the grounds it had deliberately dispersed mendacious accusation astir the actions of Russia's troops successful Ukraine.

The authorities information work said that connected Thursday, a moderator connected a Dozhd quality broadcast had expressed anticipation the presumption had already helped supply galore Russian soldiers with basal instrumentality and amenities.

It is unclear whether the connection meant the TV presumption helped amended their conditions done their reporting oregon if it took an progressive portion successful procuring said equipment.

"The statements ... rise suspicion astir the TV transmission providing assistance to the soldiers of Russia's occupying forces," it said successful a quality release.

7. Estonia to bargain US-made HIMARS rocket system

NATO subordinate and Russia’s neighbour Estonia is boosting its defence capabilities by acquiring an precocious US rocket artillery strategy successful the Baltic country’s largest arms procurement task ever, defence officials said Saturday.

A woody signed Friday for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is worthy much than $200 cardinal (€189,8m) and includes instrumentality specified arsenic ammunition and rockets arsenic good arsenic training.

The bundle includes HIMARS rockets with ranges of 70-300 kilometres, the Estonian Centre Defence Investment said successful a statement. Lockheed Martin Corp. is expected to marque the archetypal deliveries successful 2024.

"The HIMARS aggregate rocket launchers are a caller important measurement successful the improvement of Estonia’s defence capabilities,” Lieutenant Colonel Kaarel Mäesalu, caput of the capableness improvement section astatine the Estonian Defence Forces. 

“This makes it imaginable to decisively power the force adjacent earlier coming into interaction with our infantry units.”

Estonia's Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania either person oregon are presently successful the process of acquiring their ain HIMARS.

Washington provided Ukraine with the rocket launchers during Russia's penetration of the country. 

The Estonian Defence Ministry said the HIMARS systems “have helped to destruct Russian subject ammunition warehouses, transport nodes, and bid and power centres with pinpoint accuracy beyond the scope of the howitzers Ukraine has been using.”