EU prepares lower price cap for Russian oil

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today acknowledged the involvement of North Korean soldiers in the "liberation of the Kursk region" and described it as proof of the "unbreakable brotherhood" between the two countries.

"The soldiers of the Korean People's Army, together with the Russian soldiers, at the cost of blood and even lives, brought the liberation of the Kursk region from the Ukrainian Nazis closer," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

The Ukrainian army managed to seize hundreds of square kilometers in the Kursk region after a surprise offensive launched in August 2024. Moscow announced the recapture of the territory in April, after months of fighting.

According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Lavrov was speaking in the southeastern North Korean city of Wonsan during a meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Choi Son-hee. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Choi stated that North Korean authorities "will unconditionally and unwaveringly support the Russian policy of protecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Ukraine said today that Russia launched nearly 600 drones and fired 26 cruise missiles at the country, killing two people and injuring 20 , although it managed to shoot down more than half of the drones and missiles.

“ The enemy attacked with 623 aerial weapons ,” the Ukrainian army reported, specifying that the attack used 597 unmanned aircraft, known as drones, and 26 missiles; about 344 of these devices were shot down, that is, more than half, including 25 missiles and 319 drones, announced the Armed Forces of Ukraine, cited by the Europa Press news agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the new wave of Russian attacks on the country, from Kharkiv and Sumy in the east of the country to the western regions of Lviv and Bukovina, the latter in southwestern Ukraine, which is divided with Romania.

Zelensky indicated on his X account, cited by the French news agency, France-Presse (AFP), that the air defense managed to shoot down more than 20 missiles and “the vast majority” of the drones, but some projectiles ended up hitting “civilian infrastructure and residential buildings”.

The European Union is considering introducing a new price cap on Russian oil as part of its 18th package of sanctions against Moscow. The news was reported by Bloomberg on Friday night.

The ceiling could be set at 15% below the market price, based on a 10-week average – which, in practice, would lead to a reduction in the maximum limit from the current $60 to $50.

So far, the EU has been unable to push through sanctions due to opposition from Slovakia, whose authorities appear to be increasingly aligned with Moscow and oppose the package.

Meanwhile, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna said the country could also veto the EU's 18th package of sanctions against Moscow if the ceiling is not lowered, in an attempt to increase pressure on Russia.

Mediterranean countries such as Cyprus, Greece and Malta have opposed a tighter price cap on Russian oil, but are open to such negotiations, sources cited by Bloomberg said.

Good morning.

In this liveblog article, we will focus on all the latest news related to the war in Ukraine throughout this Saturday.

Zelensky confirms that US military aid has resumed

Here is the link to yesterday's liveblog , Friday, which ended with the information that Zelensky confirmed that the supply of US military aid has now resumed.

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