U.S., France present united front to hold Russia to account on Ukraine

The presidents of the United States and France said they would hold Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine and the European Union reached tentative agreement on an oil price cap to squeeze Moscow's export earnings, Qazet.az reports.

Western powers are trying to rally support for Ukraine, which is reeling from missile and drone attacks targeting power supply, water and heat in its cities just as winter has set in nine months into Russia's invasion.

Russia meanwhile accused the United States and NATO of playing a direct and dangerous role in the war and said Washington had turned Kyiv into an existential threat for Moscow which it could not ignore.

In a bid to reduce the money available for Moscow's war effort, the European Union tentatively agreed on Thursday on a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil, according to diplomats. The measure would need to be approved by all EU governments in a written procedure by Friday.