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Biden ‘confident’ US will provide additional aid; EU optimistic on Russian oil price cap deal

Biden ‘confident’ US will provide additional aid; EU optimistic on Russian oil price cap deal
Bloomberg
By Bloomberg
24 Nov 2022
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Ukraine was still recovering from a barrage of Russian missile strikes that hit its energy facilities and prompted the grid operator to halt three nuclear power plants and enact emergency blackouts amid below-zero temperatures. Ukraine’s government is preparing for even worse power shutdowns after relentless Russian attacks.

US President Joe Biden said he was confident there would be support in Congress for additional aid to Ukraine, even after Republicans — who have vowed greater oversight of the spending — take control of the House in January. 

European Union diplomats were optimistic they could reach a deal as early as Thursday on a price cap level for Russian oil exports despite sharp splits over the plan. The EU is also working at “full speed” on a ninth sanctions package against Russia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Finland.  

Key developments



On the ground


Ukrainian forces repelled assaults in the Donetsk region, including in Bakhmut, as the country struggled to cope with power and water outages brought on by Russian missile attacks a day earlier. 

On the front in the east, Ukrainian forces repelled assaults near eight settlements in the Donetsk region over the past day, including Bakhmut, the General Staff said on Facebook. Russia in total launched 78 missile strikes, 23 air strikes and more than 70 multiple rocket launcher attacks in the past 24-hour period including the shelling of Ukrainian areas along the contact line.  

Biden ‘confident of continued funding’ 


US President Joe Biden said there was still support in Congress to continue aiding Ukraine despite statements from a few Republicans questioning US backing. 

“This is not time to walk away from Ukraine,” Biden told reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday. “We had a lot of talk in this last election about whether the other team is still going to continue to support Ukraine and I still believe there’s enough support there.” 

Republican legislators have vowed to give more scrutiny to financial support for Ukraine once they take control of the House of Representatives in January.

Kyiv to have Christmas trees despite attacks 


Authorities in Kyiv will put up Christmas trees in public places, funded by non-public money, Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor, told the BBC. 

“The war won’t cancel the major holidays — New Year and Christmas,” he said.  

Even so, Klitschko said the trees would be more symbolic and urged residents to celebrate at home as the city did not plan to have mass gatherings for safety reasons. 

Steel plant suspends production due to energy shortage 


ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s largest mining and steel plant, has temporarily suspended most production processes because of power shortages, the company said on Facebook.  

The plant stopped smelting steel and producing rolled products. More than 100 miners were briefly trapped underground during power cuts and normal operations soon. 





 

 



 

Ukraine’s DTEK resumes power infrastructure operations  


DTEK resumed the operation of its thermal plants and electric power lines after Russia’s latest missile attacks, the company said on its website. 

Ukraine’s largest private energy company said it restarted supplies to critical infrastructure in all regions where its specialists are present, including to hospitals and water pumping stations.

Russia, Ukraine each return 50 prisoners 


Russia and Ukraine made their latest prisoner swap, with 50 individuals from each side exchanged on Thursday, officials confirmed. 

On the Ukrainian side, 19 soldiers originally captured in Mariupol were returned, along with 15 prisoners from the Chernobyl nuclear plant and seven from Zmiiny Island, also known as Snake Island, top presidential aide Andriy Yermak said in a tweet. 

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the swap and said the individuals would be flown to Moscow for medical treatment and rehabilitation.   

Poland calls on European Commission to help deal with refugee surge  


The European Commission must offer more support to countries likely to see a new spike in refugees after Russia stepped up attacks against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, said Polish Premier Mateusz Morawiecki. 

He spoke after a meeting in Slovakia with his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The commission should enact “quick preventive measures, without waiting for what could happen in two or four weeks”, he said. 

Poland has borne the brunt of migration from Ukraine, with more than six million people crossing the border since Russia’s invasion in February and 1.4 million registering to receive social benefits there. 

Argentina to discuss cost of Ukraine war with IMF 


Argentina’s government intends to discuss with staff from the International Monetary Fund “the price of the war” in Ukraine, said presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti. 

“We’re talking about $5-billion” in costs for Argentina in the form of high prices on energy imports, she said at a weekly press conference. 

Romania unable to help Moldova with outages, says president  


President Klaus Iohannis said Romania’s wish to help Moldova with power supplies was restrained by the lack of interconnections between the neighbours. Moldova is struggling with outages after Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system. 

“Lack of connectivity is a real problem,” Iohannis said in a press conference in Vilnius alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Ukraine’s worst-case scenario is seven-day blackout - Forbes 


The government in Kyiv sees three main blackout scenarios in case of renewed Russian missile attacks on energy infrastructure, Forbes Ukraine reported, citing a government report. 

In the worst case, the entire nation could be left without power for a week if Russia hit grid units distributing electricity from nuclear plants as well as those linking the country with the EU energy system. Nuclear reactors may have to be idled and it could take as long as a week to restore power supply to them.  

In less severe outcomes, the eastern half of Ukraine could suffer blackouts of as long as 24 hours if Russia hits thermal plants and transmitting grid units on the left bank of the Dnipro River. Or a nationwide blackout of up to a day could follow infrastructure strikes, with Ukraine being fed electricity from Europe.  





 

 



 

EU aims for Russian oil price cap deal despite disagreements 


EU diplomats were optimistic they could reach a deal as early as Thursday on a price cap level for Russian oil exports despite sharp splits over the plan.  

Identifying the ideal price — high enough to keep Russia’s oil flowing and avoid price spikes, low enough to cut funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine — is the final high hurdle in a monthslong process in shaping the Group of Seven-led plan, which US officials have pushed. 

Read more EU aims for Russian oil price cap deal amid split over aim 

EU working at ‘full speed’ on ninth sanctions package 


The European Union will stand by Ukraine for as long as is required, and is working at “full speed” on a ninth sanctions package against Russia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters Thursday in Espoo, Finland.

Speaking at an event hosted by Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Von der Leyen said: “I am confident that we will very soon approve a global price cap on Russian oil with the G7 and other major powers.” 

Estonia set to destroy Soviet monuments 


Estonia’s government plans to remove and demolish 244 Soviet monuments, which many people find offensive because they represent the Baltic nation’s decades-long occupation.

The government launched its campaign to remove Soviet monuments after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Separately, amid growing fears of a potential attack by Russia, Estonia is racing to identify facilities that could be used as bomb shelters.  

Poland wants German Patriot missiles moved further east


Germany offered to station surface-to-air Patriots in Poland less than a week after a missile strike killed two people in a village close to the border with Ukraine, raising fears of a significant escalation between Nato and Russia. 

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has asked to move the weapons even further east. “That should protect Ukraine from further casualties and blackouts and will increase security at our eastern border,” he said on Twitter. 

Power partially restored in some regions and Kyiv 


Power returned to the capital, Kyiv, as well as 17 out of 24 Ukrainian regions, excluding Crimea, as of Thursday morning, the deputy head of presidential staff, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Telegram.  

Across the rest of the country, water and heating supply were also gradually resuming where power is available, but authorities urged people to refrain from using electricity if possible. DM

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