European Union energy ministers on Monday agreed a gas price cap, after weeks of talks on the emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to tame the energy crisis. The Kremlin responded by calling the cap “unacceptable”. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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8:31pm: Putin says Russia has 'no interest' in absorbing Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday his country has "no interest" in absorbing Belarus, Moscow's main ally that heavily depends on it for cheap oil and loans.
"Russia has no interest in absorbing anyone, this would simply make no sense," Putin said, answering a question from a journalist, saying such rumours came from "ill-wishers".
The Kremlin has for years sought to deepen integration with Belarus, but its strongman Alexander Lukashenko resisted outright unification with Russia despite being a key ally.
Putin hailed a relationship between "closest allies and strategic partners ... united by a common history and spiritual values.
"Together we are resisting sanctions from unfriendly countries," Putin said, "and we do so quite confidently and effectively."
6:24pm: Kremlin says EU gas price cap 'unacceptable'
The Kremlin said Monday that the price cap for natural gas of 180 euros per megawatt hour agreed on by EU energy ministers after months of wrangling was "unacceptable".
"This is a violation of the market price-setting, an infringement on market processes, any reference to a (price) cap is unacceptable," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by Russian state-run news agencies.
6:18pm: EU countries agree gas price cap to contain energy crisis
European Union energy ministers on Monday agreed a gas price cap, after weeks of talks on the emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to tame the energy crisis.
The cap is the 27-country EU's latest attempt to lower gas prices that have pushed citizens' energy bills higher and driven record-high inflation this year after Russia cut off most of its gas deliveries to Europe.
Ministers agreed to trigger a cap if prices exceed 180 euros per megawatt hour for three days on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gas hub's front-month contract, which serves as the European benchmark, EU officials and a document seen by Reuters showed.
The cap can be triggered starting from Feb. 15 2023, the document detailing the final deal showed. The deal will be formally approved by countries in writing, after which it can enter into force.
5:09pm: Sunak says UK will maintain military aid to Ukraine in 2023
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed Monday the UK would next year "match or exceed" £2.3 billion ($2.8 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, during a meeting of Nordic, Baltic and Dutch counterparts.
The British leader, who only took power in late October, urged other members of the regional Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) grouping to follow suit "to continue the strong support" for Kyiv.
"The first is ensuring that we deliver more military aid and that military aid evolves to meet the situation that we are now facing," Sunak told the other leaders gathered in the Latvian capital, Riga.
"That means more air defence systems, it means artillery, it means armoured vehicles."
4:17pm: Belarus's Lukashenko urges unity with Moscow in 'difficult times'
Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko urged closer military cooperation with Russia on Monday during a rare visit from President Vladimir Putin, who launched his invasion of Ukraine from his neighbour's territory.
"Difficult times require us to have political will and to focus on getting results on all topics of the bilateral agenda," Lukashenko told Putin.
"The main issues lately have been defence and security issues," he added.
2:37pm: Sunak proposes to degrade Russia's 'capacity to regroup'
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday that the West should work to degrade "Russia’s capability to regroup" as it continues its war of aggression in Ukraine, citing the drones that Iran has been providing to Moscow.
Sunak spoke at a summit of the Joint Expeditionary Force in the Latvian capital Riga. The British-led force is a group of 10 northern European nations designed to react more quickly in the event of threats like those now posed by Russia.
Sunak also said the economic consequences for Russia ”must continue to be severe".
1:35pm: Putin lands in Belarus for talks with Lukashenko
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus on Monday along with his defence and foreign ministers, fanning fears in Kyiv that he intends to pressure his ex-Soviet ally to join a fresh ground offensive that would open a new front against Ukraine.
Putin, whose troops have been driven back in Ukraine's north, northeast and south since invading in February, is taking a more public role in the war. He visited his operation headquarters on Friday to sound out military commanders.
His trip for talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was his first to Minsk since 2019 – before the Covid pandemic and a wave of pro-democracy protests in 2020 that Lukashenko crushed with strong support from the Kremlin.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies that Belarus was Russia's "number one ally" but that suggestions Moscow aims to pressure Minsk into joining what it calls its "special military operation" were "stupid and unfounded fabrications".
12:52pm: Russian 'kamikaze' drone flies over Ukrainian nuclear plant, says Ukraine atomic agency
Ukraine's atomic agency said on Monday that a Russian "kamikaze" drone had flown over a part of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant just after midnight on Monday morning.
"This is an absolutely unacceptable violation of nuclear and radiation safety," Energoatom said on the Telegram messaging app.
11:37am: Zelensky asks Western leaders for wide range of weapons systems
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday asked Western leaders meeting in Latvia, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to supply a wide range of weapons systems.
11:29am: Russia says it shot down US-made HARM missiles over Belgorod
Russia's defence ministry said its forces shot down four US-made HARM anti-radiation missiles over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, in the space of 24 hours, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
One person died and several were injured by Ukrainian shelling in the region on Sunday morning, the region's governor said.
11:19am: Power cuts in Kyiv, 10 Ukraine regions after Russian attacks
Ukrainian energy operator Ukrenergo said Monday that emergency shutdowns would be applied in the capital Kyiv and 10 other regions following a barrage of drone strikes from Russia.
"Enemy UAVs targeted energy facilities across the country overnight ... Schedules for emergency shutdowns have been initiated in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovograd, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv regions and in the city of Kyiv," Ukrenergo said in a statement.
11:16am: Military readiness checks completed, Belarus says, ahead of planned Putin visit
Belarus' defence ministry said on Monday it had completed a series of inspections of its armed forces' military preparedness, hours ahead of a visit to Minsk by Belarus' most important ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Weeks of military manoeuvres and inspections have raised fears in Kyiv that Belarus, which acted as a staging post for Russia to launch its invasion of Ukraine in February, could be preparing to take a more active role in the war once again.
9:55am: Kyiv region says Russian drone attack caused 'fairly serious' damage
Russia's drone attack caused "fairly serious" damage in the Kyiv region on Monday, and three areas in the region have been left without a power supply, Governor Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Russia sent 35 "kamikaze" drones to attack Ukraine, Ukraine's military said, some of which targeted the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that "explosions" had occurred in the capital's central Shevchenkivskyi and western Solomianskyi districts. He said critical infrastructure facilities were "damaged" but there were no known casualties.
It was Moscow's third air attack on Kyiv in six days.
7:44am: Russian troops to hold drills in Ukraine's neighbour Belarus
Russian troops will conduct military exercises in Belarus, which neighbours Ukraine, the Interfax news agency said on Monday, citing the defence ministry in Moscow.
"The final assessment of the combat capability and combat readiness of the units will be given ... after the battalion tactical exercises have been conducted," Interfax quoted the ministry as saying.
It did not say when and where the drills will take place but the announcement comes hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Minsk for talks with counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarusian defence ministry said in October that 9,000 Russian troops were moving to the country as part of a "regional grouping" of forces to protect its borders.
5:45am: Kyiv targeted in early morning drone attack, say authorities
Russia's latest attacks hit "critical infrastructure" in and around Kyiv early on Monday, Ukrainian authorities said, adding air defence systems destroyed about 15 of the 20 drones directed at the capital.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said preliminary information suggested there were no deaths or injuries from the attack on the capital, and medics were working at the sites of the strikes in the Solomyanskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts.
"As a result of the attack on the capital, critical infrastructure facilities were damaged," Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.
"Energy and heating engineers are working to quickly stabilise the situation with energy and heat supply."
A Reuters witness reported there was a fire as a result of the attack on the often targeted central Shevchenkivskyi district.
The Solomyanskyi district in the western part of Kyiv is a busy transport hub, home to a train station and one of the city's two passenger airports.
Oleskiy Kuleba, governor of the Kyiv region, which does not include the capital but surrounds it, said infrastructure and private houses were damaged by the night drone attacks.
2:30am: Ukraine watchful of borders as Putin to head to Belarus
President Volodymyr Zelensky said protecting Ukraine's borders was a "constant priority" and his country was ready for all possible scenarios with Russia and its ally Belarus, which Kyiv has warned could be drawn into the 10-month war.
Zelensky, in his nightly video address to Ukrainians, also issued a fresh appeal to Western nations to provide Kyiv with better air defences as "one of the most powerful" steps to halt the Russian invasion.
He also said Ukrainian forces were holding the eastern city of Bakhmut, where some of the fiercest fighting has been seen.
Air raid warnings again rang out over Kyiv and eastern Ukraine early on Monday, with videos of blasts and air defence systems shared on social media.
"Protecting our border, both with Russia and Belarus – is our constant priority," Zelensky said after a meeting on Sunday of Ukraine's top military command. "We are preparing for all possible defence scenarios."
Zelensky made his remarks on the eve of a visit to Belarus by Russian President Vladimir Putin's amid discussion of a possible new offensive by Moscow and suggestions it could originate in Belarus.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
