Dec 1 (Reuters) - The presidents of the United States and France said they would hold Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine and the European Union reached tentative agreement on Thursday on an oil price cap aimed at starving Moscow of resources.
FIGHTING
* Ukraine's armed forces have lost somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 soldiers so far in the war against Russia, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told a Ukrainian television network. * Russia's Defence Ministry and the head of Ukraine's presidential administration said the two countries had swapped 50 service personnel in the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides. * Russian rockets pounded neighbourhoods in Kherson knocking out power in the city where electricity had only begun to be restored nearly three weeks after Russian troops left.
* Ukraine's armed forces reported heavy shelling of a number of eastern frontline villages near the city of Bakhmut.
* Ukraine's military said it had found fragments of Russian-fired nuclear-capable missiles with dud warheads in western Ukraine, and that their apparent purpose was to distract air defences.
* Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko told residents to stock up on water, food and warm clothes in the event of a total blackout caused by Russian strikes.
[1/4]Â Ukrainian servicemen fire a mortar on a front line, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this handout image released November 20, 2022. Iryna Rybakova/Press Service of the 93rd Independent Kholodnyi Yar Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS
DIPLOMACY, FOREIGN RESPONSE * Biden and Macron presented a united front on Ukraine at the White House, and Biden said he would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin if he is willing to end the invasion.
* European Union governments tentatively agreed on a $60 a barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil, with an adjustment mechanism to keep the cap at 5% below the market price, an EU diplomat said. * Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure have increased the cost to keep Ukraine's economy going next year, adding up to $1 billion a month to previous estimates of $3-$4 billion, the head of the International Monetary Fund told the Reuters NEXT conference.
* The European Union needs patience as it imposes sanctions on Russia as most measures will only have an impact in the medium and long term, Lithuania's prime minister said at⯠the â¯Reuters NEXT conference.
* Spain has stepped up security at public and diplomatic buildings after a spate of letter bombs, including one sent to the prime minister and another to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, where an official suffered minor injuries.
NUCLEAR
* Ukraine sacked a top engineer at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, accusing him of collaborating with Russian forces, and urged other Ukrainian staff at the plant to remain loyal to the Kyiv government.
Compiled by Alex Richardson and Conor Humphries; editing by Grant McCool and Cynthia Osterman
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