Russia halts Putin-Trump call after Tomahawks warning

MOSCOW: Russia said on Monday that there were currently no plans for a call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, after the US leader warned he might send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Trump has been mulling potential supplies of the long-range missiles to Kyiv via European allies since his meeting with Putin in Alaska in August failed to produce a peace deal. He said that he might warn Putin about the possible deliveries if Russia does not halt its offensive.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'There are no clear agreements on a phone conversation yet. 'There are many opportunities for promptly organising such a conversation', if it was needed, he added. Russia has repeatedly said it would see supplying the weapon as a significant escalation.
The missiles have a range of 2,500 kilometres, putting much of western Russia, including the capital Moscow, within striking distance. They are also technically capable of carrying nuclear warheads and Moscow said it would treat any launches of the missile as if they were loaded with a nuclear weapon.
Former president Dmitry Medvedev, now a deputy chair of Russia's security council, said on Monday that if the United States opted to supply the weapons, it could backfire on Trump directly. 'The delivery of these missiles could end badly for everyone. And above all, for Trump himself', he said on Telegram.
In August, Trump and Medvedev, known for his hawkish and provocative anti-Western comments, clashed after the US leader upped his pressure on Moscow to halt its offensive on Ukraine. Trump responded by redeploying military submarines and warning that Medvedev's statements could 'lead to unintended consequences'.
Meanwhile, the European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Monday that Russia was 'gambling with war', after a spate of Russian drones and military jets crossing into the bloc's airspace. Nato has boosted its defences along its eastern borders as it accused Moscow of testing the alliance's air defences with drone incursions into several members and by flying military jets in Estonian airspace.
'Every time a Russian drone or plane violates our airspace, there is a risk of escalation, unintended or not. Russia is gambling with war', Kallas said during a visit to Kyiv. 'To keep war at bay, we must translate the economic power of Europe into military deterrence', she added. Kallas was in Kyiv for talks on military and financial support for Ukraine and especially its energy infrastructure, as Russia has resumed attacks on power plants ahead of winter.
Ukraine on Monday was forced to introduce power cuts across seven central and eastern regions as a result of the attacks, which Kyiv has called 'cynical'.
'The enemy wants to affect the spirit and mood of our population', Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said during a joint press conference with Kallas. 'This is especially cynical on the eve of winter', he added.
Ukraine retaliates by targeting Russian oil refineries, aiming to hamper funding of its war machine. It has launched more than 30 strikes on Russian energy sites since the beginning of August, also triggering a spike in petrol prices inside Russia. An oil depot was struck overnight in Russian-occupied Crimea, sparking a large fire, according to the region's Moscow-installed governor and a source in Ukraine's security services.
A Russian drone struck a car carrying a married couple in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing them both, local authorities said. Kallas also indicated that Brussels backed the delivery of US long-range Tomahawk missile supplies to Ukraine. 'We welcome all tools that make Ukraine stronger and Russia weaker', she said.
Ukraine said on Monday it was introducing restrictions on energy consumption in at least seven regions following a series of recent Russian aerial attacks on power facilities. 'Due to the complicated situation in Ukraine's Unified Energy System caused by previous Russian strikes, emergency power outages were implemented' across seven regions, the energy ministry said on social media. It mainly listed territories in the centre and east of the country, including the Donetsk region where officials have urged civilians to leave over targeted attacks on the grid. — AFP