The Kremlin on Monday condemned a “terrorist attack” in Afghanistan’s Kabul, which killed two Russian Embassy staff.
“Of course, we are talking about a terrorist act, which is absolutely unacceptable in general. We strongly condemn such terrorist acts,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.
The Russian authorities are focusing on getting information about the incident, he said.
Kabul police said one civilian was killed and 10 others injured when a suicide bomber targeted a gathering near the Russian Embassy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry later announced that two embassy staff were killed in the explosion.
Recently, the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization targeted the Taliban’s religious seminaries and mosques in Kabul and other parts of the country.
– Russia does not expect changes after election of new UK premier
Asked about the election of a new prime minister in Britain, Peskov said Moscow does not expect any improvements, on the contrary, relations with London may further deteriorate.
“We do not expect any changes in the foreseeable future. I would not like to say that these changes can happen for the worse, because it is difficult to imagine the worst, but, unfortunately, this cannot be ruled out. I don’t think we may hope for anything positive,” the spokesman said.
Shortly after Peskov’s remarks, Liz Truss was announced the new leader of the Conservative party and Britain’s prime minister to replace Boris Johnson, leaving her rival Rishi Sunak behind.
– EU energy crisis
On the energy crisis in Europe, the Kremlin spokesman said the EU cannot reserve additional volumes of the Russian gas due to sanctions.
“Problems with pumping arose due to sanctions imposed on our country and a number of companies by Western states, including Germany and the UK.
“At the moment only one turbine pumping gas via Nord Stream pipeline to Europe is working, and it needs a serious technical maintenance.
“Sanctions hinder the maintenance and transportation of aggregates and prevent the provision of legal guarantees,” he said.
According to Peskov, sanctions also affect the life of the EU citizens, with their quality of life decreasing because of rising prices.
Peskov denied any attempts to put responsibility for the problems with the delivery of hydrocarbons on Russia.
“We see incessant attempts to somehow place responsibility and blame for what is happening on us. We categorically reject these attempts and we insist that the collective West, in this case the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom, is to blame for the fact that the situation has reached the point where it is now,” he stressed.
Commenting on the Group of Seven decision to introduce a price cap on the Russian oil, Peskov admitted that Moscow may stop selling the fuel at all.
On Sept. 2, the G7 finance ministers announced their intention to introduce a cap on prices for Russian oil.
To do this, they want to create a “broad international coalition” and prohibit the provision of any services for the sea transportation of Russian oil if it is sold at a price higher than the cap agreed by the “broad coalition.”
Meanwhile, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen also called for introducing a price cap on the Russian gas in the EU.
-AA