NATO meeting in Romania / Boris Johnson / Darkness in Kyiv / Ukrainian flag in Washington

Jens Stoltenberg. Olivier Matthys / AP

Stoltenberg: Failures make Putin increasingly brutal 

 

Failures during the war in Ukraine make Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly brutal. 

 

This is what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says according to VG. He says that Russia is now purposefully aiming to knock out Ukraine's heat, electricity and food supply. 

 

- This is a great start to the winter for Ukraine, says Stoltenberg. 

 

He also says that all of Europe will feel the effects of Russia's war, but while most will pay in money through increased living costs, the Ukrainians will have to pay with their blood. 

 

Stoltenberg spoke before the NATO meeting in Romania 

 

..........................................................................

Boris Johnson. Peter Dejong / AP 

 

Johnson: "Macron thought he could persuade Putin" 

 

Yesterday 12:08 

 

France lived in "total denial" about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, says former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an interview with CNN. He believes that it was not obvious that all European countries would stand united in the event of an invasion and the countries had different perspectives on the situation. 

 

France "believed until the end" that President Emmanuel Macron could talk to Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict with Ukraine. 

 

Johnson believes that France should have understood that was impossible, especially when Russian troops began massing on the Ukrainian border. But once the war broke out, the countries quickly united. 

 

- What happened was that everyone saw that there was simply no alternative. Because you couldn't negotiate with this guy (Vladimir Putin eds.note). 

 

Boris Johnson: Germany hoped that Ukraine 

 

.....................................................................

 

Darkness in Kyiv. Evgeniy Maloletka / AP 

 

Half of Kyiv's residents still without power 

 

Close to half of the residents of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, still lacked electricity on Friday after the latest wave of Russian attacks, reports AFP. The head of the national energy company Ukrenergo says that work to repair the electricity grid is ongoing and that "the most difficult stage" has been passed after the latest attacks. 

 

Millions of Ukrainians were without power on Thursday after the attacks, which were condemned by Ukraine's allies as war crimes. Russia, for its part, claims that it only attacked "legitimate military targets". 

 

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said earlier on Friday that Russia, on the contrary, deliberately attacks infrastructure that affects civilians.

 

...............................................................

 

Ukrainian flag in Washington. Jose Luis Magana / AP 

 

Growing discontent in the EU: "The US profits the most from the war" 

 

Within the EU, there is growing dissatisfaction with how the US has acted during the war in Ukraine, writes Politico. The site states that several senior EU representatives believe that the US has used the war to benefit itself, by selling weapons and gas at high prices. American subsidies are also criticized for distorting competition to Europe's disadvantage. 

 

- The fact is, if you look at the matter soberly, that the country that has profited the most from this war is the United States, says a high-ranking EU representative. 

 

Another EU source warns that in the long run the actions of the United States may make the European public increasingly negative both towards supporting Ukraine in the war and towards transatlantic cooperation in general. 

 

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has previously urged the US to take into account the concerns in Europe and pointed out that Washington's decision has economic consequences for Europeans.