04:15 PM
Friday 03 February 2023
Moscow – AA
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today, Friday, that Washington and its NATO allies have completely undermined their credibility in the world as reliable partners with whom agreements can be reached.
Lavrov stressed – in a meeting of the General Council of the United Russia Party for International Cooperation Affairs, according to “Russia Today” news channel – that an increasing number of countries in the world are working to reduce dependence on the US dollar and switch to dealing in national currencies.
The Russian Foreign Minister said, “The crimes of the colonialists do not fall under the statute of limitations and deprive the Western elites forever of claiming to exercise any role of moral leadership, especially since the colonial instincts have not disappeared.”
And the Russian Foreign Minister continued: “It is no secret that the consequences of colonialism and the modern scandalous practice are one of the main reasons for the deep disparities in the development of the countries of our world.”
On the other hand, the Russian presidency (the Kremlin) confirmed that measures will be taken to respond to the European embargo on Russian oil products, noting that the move will lead to more imbalances in global markets.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question about Moscow’s position on the embargo imposed on Russian oil products by European countries: “This will, of course, lead to more imbalance in global energy markets.”
“We evaluate that embargo negatively, we have already talked about this,” Peskov added, noting that Russia is taking measures to defend its national interests, saying: “It is natural that we take measures to protect our interests from the risks that arise in this regard.”
For his part, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said today, Friday, that his country does not see any indications of a sharp reduction in refining and production of petroleum products due to the embargo imposed by the European Union on Russian fuel scheduled for February 5.
“Once the ban is imposed, we will see what will result,” Shulginov added – according to the Russian (Tass) news agency.
It is noteworthy that Western sanctions on Russian oil entered into force on December 5, 2022, as the European Union stopped buying Russian oil by sea, and on February 5, similar measures will be introduced on Russian oil products, and the G7 countries, Australia and the European Union imposed a ceiling on the price of oil. The Russian barrel is at $60, as it is forbidden to transport or provide insurance services for shipments whose price exceeds this level.
Moscow responded to setting a ceiling on the price of its barrel by banning the supply of oil to parties with which the contracts concluded, directly or indirectly, stipulate the use of the price-setting mechanism, and the ban began to be implemented as of February 2023.
In a field context, the Ukrainian forces, the Russian army and the “Wagner” group are waging a battle of attrition in all regions of eastern Ukraine, where the Russian side has succeeded in encircling several towns and controlling the main road between Bakhmut and Solidar, as well as advancing to the city of Liman, 160 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv. .
For its part, the Ukrainian police announced that in light of the continuous shelling, a Russian missile destroyed a residential building and damaged seven others in the city of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, killing a number of civilians and injuring others.
On the other hand, a military source in the pro-Moscow Luhansk forces today, Friday, accused the Ukrainian army of liquidating its members who decided to surrender and not fight the battles against the Russian forces.
The source said, “The Ukrainian army liquidated about 12 soldiers after their commander announced their desire to surrender and not fight the battles against the Russian forces in the area of the special military operation in Kyiv.”
For his part, the advisor to the Donetsk People’s Act, Igor Kimakovsky, said that the Russian soldiers were able to capture members of the Ukrainian army in the Kremnaya region, north of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, without indicating their number.
Kimakovsky pointed out that the Russian forces also managed, during a counterattack, to liquidate about 50 Ukrainian soldiers, and captured many soldiers in Luhansk, some of whom were trained in the city of Lvov by trainees from Georgia and France.
In another context, Norwegian media reports revealed Oslo’s intention to buy 54 tanks of the “Leopard” model from Germany.
According to Norwegian reports, there are official sources confirming Oslo’s intention to purchase 54 tanks of the “Leopard” model, noting that the country’s authorities will make this official statement in this regard very soon.
The Norwegian Defense Minister, Bjorn Arild Gram, announced last week that Oslo intends to send Leopard tanks to Kyiv without checking the number of these tanks.
