For the first time since Russia waged war on Ukraine, US President Joe Biden stated he was prepared to speak with Vladimir Putin if he shows an interest in looking for a way to end the war.

“I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war. He hasn't done that yet,” President Biden said at a joint press conference with the visiting President of France Emmanuel Macron. “If that's the case, in consultation with my French and my NATO friends, I'll be happy to sit down with Putin to see what he has in mind. He hasn't done that yet.”

On his part, Emmanuel Macron said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, stating: “I will talk to him about security and safety of nuclear plants in the areas that are being claimed, including Zaporizhzhia, in particular.” However, just agreed with the American President that “we will never urge the Ukrainians to make a compromise that will not be acceptable for them." Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated multiple times that Ukraine will not give up any of its territories. Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron pledged long-term support for Ukraine in its war against the Russian invaders.

European Union member states are close to agreeing a USD 60 per barrel price cap on seaborne Russian oil,news agencies report, with only Poland left to greenlight the cap.  

As of Monday, 5 December, the EU is banning Russian crude oil imports, with a price cap on seaborne oil exported by Russia to ports all over the world. Steps will be taken to stop tankers from transporting oil over the price cap – for example by refusing to insure ships and transport by companies in Great Britain and the EU.

Ukraine's armed forces have lost somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 soldiers so far in the war against Russia, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told a Ukrainian television network on Thursday, Reuters reports. He added that more soldiers had been wounded than had died. In his words, the number of Russian soldiers killed since the start of the invasion is close to 100,000, with 100,000-150,000 either wounded or missing. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley recently estimated that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers had been “killed and wounded” since Russia invaded Ukraine.