US President Joe Biden has no intention of talking to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, as there are currently no conditions for such negotiations, the White House said. On the other hand, the G7 countries and Australia have agreed on a price ceiling for Russian offshore oil of $60 per barrel to limit Moscow’s profits and its ability to wage war.

Highlights of Saturday, the 283rd day of the Ukrainian war, LIVETEXT:

09:01 What the Institute for the Study of War says in its assessment released tonight (key points:

• Russia is trying to take advantage of the West’s willingness to negotiate to create a dynamic in which Western officials will be forced to make preemptive concessions to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
• Sergey Lavrov repeated as a basis for negotiations the same demands that the Russian Foreign Ministry put forward before the invasion on February 24, and Dmytro Peskov added an additional demand for the West to recognize the annexations of Ukrainian territories.
• Russian forces continue to pose a threat to Ukrainian energy infrastructure, despite the successes of Ukrainian air defense.
• Additional Western air defense systems raise doubts among the Russian pro-war community about the Russian air campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure.
• Russian officials are setting the terms for talks on the demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, an agreement that Russia is likely to violate and that will not eliminate or reduce the current threat to the nuclear power plant.
• Ukrainian forces advanced locally to the southwest and northwest of Kremini. Russian troops continued to advance minimally in the area of ​​Bakhmut and conduct offensive actions in the area of ​​the city of Avdiyivka.
• Due to the Ukrainian strikes, Russian forces may have difficulties with the proper distribution and deployment of forces in rear areas in southern Ukraine.
• Poor logistics, undisciplined mobilized personnel, and internal protests continue to prevent the Kremlin from achieving its partial mobilization goals.

The EU and the G7 limited the prices of Russian oil

08:50 Britain’s foreign secretary has warned that peace talks could be used by Vladimir Putin to rebuild his army before launching a new offensive.

In an interview with The Telegraph, James Cleverley said there was a risk that “the ceasefire will really just be used by Putin to train more soldiers and produce more ammunition”.

“The point is that we have to be very, very careful if Vladimir Putin initiates ‘peace’ talks – and I use the word ‘peace’ in quotes here,” he said.

07:18Russian oil was capped at $60 per barrel. The decision takes effect from Monday.

07:09Russian tourists visit Thailand in large groups on charter flights and with cash.

06:41Edward Snowden received a Russian passport after swearing allegiance.

01:07A Russian lawmaker says the EU is “risking its energy security” by imposing price caps.

A quick recap of Saturday morning’s latest events:

• On Friday, the European Commission proposed to fine companies with at least 5% of global turnover if they violate EU sanctions against Russia. Persons may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of at least five years.
• The Russian authorities of the Kherson region announce an “evacuation” from the left bank of the Dnieper, clarifying that people with limited mobility are from the occupied city of Kakhovka.
• Several embassies of Ukraine abroad received “bloody packages” with animal eyes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported on Friday.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday urged Putin to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict as soon as possible, “including the withdrawal of Russian troops.” On the other hand, the Kremlin announced that during the discussion, Putin told Scholz that the position of Germany and the West on Ukraine was “destructive” and called on Berlin to reconsider its approach.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Friday that Turkey expects a “clear picture” of the war by spring.
• Ukrainian special forces are fighting behind enemy lines in the Zaporizhzhia region.
• Last week, the sky over Kyiv and the regional centers of Ukraine was unusually quiet. Since November 23, when nearly 70 cruise missiles were fired at targets in Ukraine, there has been no major Russian missile or drone strike.
• A Telegram account with hundreds of subscribers wrote that Vladimir Putin fell down the stairs and tripped, stressing that Moscow has major problems controlling the Russian information space.
• Germany plans to supply Ukraine with seven Gepard armored vehicles, which were sent for scrap metal, which will add to the 30 armored personnel carriers already used to fight the Russian army.
• According to Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the President of Kyiv, up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in the war. Ukraine once said that 100 to 200 of its soldiers die on the battlefield every day, which makes Podoliak’s estimate seem conservative.
• Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin “very honestly” assessed Europe’s capabilities in the light of Russia’s war against Ukraine, believing that Europe is “not strong enough” to confront Moscow alone.

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• Friday’s events surrounding the invasion were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro