Ukraine announced that its forces had achieved field gains against the Russians on some fronts, while Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the Europeans not to do foolishness after which "gas, no oil, no fuel, and nothing" will reach them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that his forces had recaptured several towns from the Russians in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, without details.
"This week, we have good news from the Kharkiv region," he added, noting that the towns - he did not name - retaken by Ukrainian forces, "the Ukrainian flag is back in them."
The Kharkiv region partially fell into the hands of Russian forces at the beginning of the war that erupted on February 24, while the city of Kharkiv (the country's second largest city) is subjected to frequent bombardments by Russian forces that have not been able to seize it until today.
For his part, a senior official in the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) described the Ukrainian army's operations in the southern regions of Ukraine as "important" progress on the battlefield, while Russia says that it inflicted heavy losses on those forces.
"It's still too early to judge, but I think the Ukrainians are making slow but important progress, and we'll see how it goes," Pentagon agent Colin Kahl said during a conference held by Defense News.
"I think things are going better for Ukraine in the south than for Russia," he added.
A few days ago, Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack in the south of the country to restore areas seized by Russian forces, and while Kyiv confirms the success of this attack, Moscow says that it inflicted heavy losses on the attacking forces.
CNN quoted US and Ukrainian officials as saying that Kyiv's endeavor to retake Kherson (south) from Russian forces by the end of this year is an ambitious goal, but it is possible if Ukraine continues to make military progress.
Putin warns
On the other hand, the dispute between Moscow and the European Union escalated after a European call to set a ceiling for Russian gas prices, and Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to cut off oil and gas supplies completely if Western countries set a ceiling for Russian fuel prices.
Putin denied that Russia was using energy as a "weapon" against Europe, and threatened to stop Russian gas shipments if Russian oil and gas prices were to be capped.
He said during an economic forum in Vladivostok (Russia's far east) that setting a ceiling for Russian fuel prices would be "foolishness", adding, "We will not hand anything over at all if it conflicts with our interests... No gas, no oil, no coal, no fuel oil, no." something".
The Russian President stressed that isolating his country is "impossible" despite the "sanction fever" of the West, praising in his speech the "increasing role" of the Asia-Pacific region in world affairs, unlike the West, which saw it as retreating and engulfed by inflation.
Putin stressed the strengthening of Russia's relations with Asia - especially China - in the face of "the West's technological, financial and economic aggression."
cut off income
After the Group of Seven - which called for a ceiling on the price of Russian oil - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed on Wednesday to EU member states to impose a ceiling on the price of Russian gas.
"The goal here is very clear, we have to cut off Russia's income that Putin uses to fund his brutal war on Ukraine," von der Leyen told reporters.
"At the beginning of the war, Russian gas through the pipeline accounted for 40% of the total gas imported (by the European Union), today it represents only 9%," she added.
For its part, Kyiv condemned "the Russian propaganda that is working in full swing to threaten Europe with a cold winter."
"Putin is heading towards the second stage of a hybrid war by threatening the stability of European countries," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said.
"Don't be fooled, Russia's gas cut has nothing to do with sanctions, it's a premeditated plot," he added.