Developments of the Russia-Ukraine war situation

Russian Foreign Minister: The longer Ukraine delays negotiations, the harder it will be to reach an agreement: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on September 11 that Russia does not refuse to negotiate with Ukraine, but Kiev's continued delay in negotiations will complicate the possibility of reaching an agreement between the two sides.

In an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel, Mr. Lavrov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed Moscow's position during a meeting with the State Duma (lower house) of Russia and party leaders.

"The president told the meeting participants that we do not refuse negotiations, but the Ukrainian side should understand that the more they delay this process, the more difficult it will be for them to negotiate with us," Lavrov said.

Ukraine says Russia withdraws from strategic town in Lugansk:The General Staff of the Ukrainian army said on September 11 that Russian forces had withdrawn from the strategic town of Svatove in the Lugansk region, located 40 km from the front line.

Ukrainian soldiers move on an armored vehicle near Kiev. Photo: AP

Svatove is a key location on Russian supply routes to fronts further south - along the border between Donetsk and Lugansk.

"Russian forces abandoned Svatove in the Luhagsk region. They used four Kamaz trucks and 20 Tigr AV armored vehicles to withdraw," the Office of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement posted on Facebook.

UK and EU spend $500 billion on energy subsidies:Along with many other European countries, Britain last week confirmed plans to subsidise energy bills for households and businesses to protect the economy from freezing over the winter when Russia cuts off gas supplies.

Starting in October, the average British household will not have to pay more than £2,500 ($2,880) for energy for the next two years. The government will also support businesses, charities and public sector organisations with energy costs for the next six months and possibly longer. Because the programme is not targeted specifically at those most in need but is broad-based, it will be relatively expensive, estimated to be as much as £150 billion ($172 billion), according to analyst Salomon Fiedler at Berenberg Bank.

Ukraine accuses Russia of attacking critical infrastructure, causing power outages in many areas:Ukraine accused Russia of attacking its vital infrastructure, cutting off power and water in many areas of Kharkiv, plunging a number of Ukrainian cities into darkness.

Kiev believes this is Russia's retaliation after they achieved some successes on the battlefield.

Russia's RT reported that eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv and Donetsk provinces suffered a complete power outage on September 11, while many other provinces, including Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and Odessa, suffered partial power outages. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that the city's authorities were working to restore power. Earlier, Ukrainian presidential advisers said that a fire had broken out at Kharkiv's power plant No. 5.

Ukraine warns of risk of Russian counterattack:Ukraine needs to defend its regained territories against a possible Russian counterattack, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov warned, saying Kiev's lightning counterattack was "better than expected".

Ukraine says its counter-offensive has pushed back Russian forces, reclaiming 3,000 km²and forced the Russian Ministry of Defense to order a withdrawal of troops.

“A counter-offensive to liberate the territory has been carried out and then we must take control of these territories and be ready to defend them,” Oleksii Reznikov told the Financial Times.

Germany refuses to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine: German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht on September 12 once again refused to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine.

“So far, no country has provided Western-made main battle tanks or infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. We have agreed with our partners that Germany will not take such action unilaterally,” Ms. Lambrecht said in Berlin./.