President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that during a telephone conversation with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, he called on the EU to urgently allocate the next tranche of assistance to Ukraine and sought a new wave of European sanctions against Russia.
Zelenskyy warned the Europeans that they would face a difficult winter due to reduced exports of Russian oil and gas, adding that he and von der Leyen had agreed on “steps to limit Russia’s oil and gas windfall.”
Recall that last week the G7 countries announced a planned price cap on Russian oil exports.
The Kremlin has said it will stop selling oil to any country that imposes a restriction.
“Russia is preparing for a decisive energy attack on all Europeans,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video message following Moscow’s announcements about cutting off supplies via Nord Stream 1, reports NBC News .
European countries that have provided Ukraine with diplomatic and military support have accused Russia of using energy supplies as a weapon.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that his government had assumed that gas supplies would be completely cut off in December, but expressed confidence that Germany would survive the winter.
“Russia is no longer a reliable energy partner,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said earlier that Kyiv expects a tranche of macro-financial assistance in the amount of 5 billion euros ($4.98 billion) from the EU next week.
“We discussed the allocation of the next tranche of macro-(financial) assistance from the EU as soon as possible. Stressed the need to prepare the 8th package of (Western) sanctions (against Russia), including a ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens,” Zelenskyy tweeted.
Radio Liberty quotes National Security Council Communications Coordinator John Kirby on the issue of visa restrictions.
“We have introduced visa restrictions for individual Russians,” Kirby stated in an interview with a Dozhd TV correspondent. “We believe that this is a tool that allows you to hold Putin accountable for what he is doing in Ukraine, and specifically hold members of his oligarchy, supporters of the regime, who were involved in the war with Ukraine, accountable. But we do not believe that holding all Russians accountable for Putin’s actions is a productive measure. We believe that there is no need to turn this into a war with the entire Russian people.”
READ: Russia busy in victories while Zelenskyy praises Armed Forces of Ukraine
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was once again without off-site power, although a backup line continued to supply power to the grid. Only one of the six power units remained operational, the IAEA said in a statement.
