Kyiv has won the battle over a European embargo on Russian oil that would defund Russia’s war machine, but its army is retreating in the face of a Russian offensive in the east as Russian troops control the main city. Severodonetsk in the Donbass.
After weeks of obstruction from Hungary, the leaders of the 27 countries of the European Union reached an agreement on a phased ban during a summit in Brussels on Monday evening. Initially, it will include imports of oil that Russia exports only by sea, that is, two-thirds of European purchases of Russian black gold, and not oil transported through pipelines, which allowed the Hungarian veto to be lifted.
“This cut will deprive the (Russian) military machine of a huge source of funding,” European Council President Charles Michel tweeted.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the bloc will consider “as soon as possible” expanding the scope of this embargo to include oil exported by Russia via pipelines to the bloc’s member states and more broadly European By the end of the year The Union will refuse 90% of Russian oil imports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video interview at the start of the summit, urged European leaders to stand up to Moscow. European leaders also agreed during the summit to provide the Ukrainian government with nine billion euros to cover its urgent liquidity needs to be able to manage its economy.
The adoption of this package of sanctions comes at a time when the Ukrainian army is retreating to the east of the country, where Russian forces are concentrating after they withdrew from the Kyiv region in late March and took control of the strategic port of Mariupol. (southeast) 20 May.
For now, discussions appear to be focused on resuming Ukrainian grain exports, which Kyiv says is being thwarted by a Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea that is fueling a global food crisis on the agenda. European summit.
On the judicial front, a Ukrainian court on Tuesday sentenced two Russian soldiers accused of bombing two Ukrainian cities in northeast Kharkiv region to 11 and a half years in prison on the first day of the invasion.
The Ukrainian crisis has spearheaded discussions between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif Al-Zayani, in Manama.
In addition, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani confirmed that he had discussed with his Russian counterpart Lavrov a ceasefire in Ukraine and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians.
During a press conference that brought together the two ministers after talks between the two sides, Al-Zayani said: “The monarch of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, assured the Russian foreign minister of the need to end the conflict in Ukraine and resort to dialogue.
