Amid Russia pressing its attacks in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has termed the situation as “extremely difficult”, European Union leaders on Monday slapped new sanctions on Moscow and decided to ban most imports of Russian oil to the 27-nation bloc.
In what can be called the bloc’s toughest sanction on Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine three months ago, European Council President Charles Michel said the ban agreed would immediately cover more than two-thirds of oil imports from Russia and cut a “huge source of financing for its war machine.”
The EU leaders agreed on cutting 90 per cent of oil imports from Russia by the end of this year, with exemptions for Hungary – a landlocked country that relies heavily on crude piped from Russia – and others concerned about the ban’s economic impact.
Meanwhile, the Russian army has narrowed its focus on Donbas cities with incessant artillery and missile barrages after failing to capture Kyiv in the invasion’s early stages.
Meanwhile, a Russian intelligence officer has claimed that President Vladimir Putin has been given three years to live as he has a “severe form of rapidly progressing cancer”. An Independent report mentioned the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) officer claiming that 69-year-old Mr Putin is losing his sight due to the illness.
Latest in Russia-Ukraine war:
In fresh sanctions, EU leaders ban most Russian oil
At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, European Union leaders agreed to ban more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports as Moscow’s forces made gains in the eastern Donbas region of war-ravaged Ukraine.
The compromise deal, meant to punish Russia for its invasion three months ago, cuts “a huge source of financing for its war machine,” European Council chief Charles Michel tweeted.
“Maximum pressure on Russia to end the war,” he said.
Leaders of the 27-nation bloc had met to negotiate the long-sought deal earlier Monday in Brussels, amid concerns raised by Hungary and other neighboring countries reliant on Russian fuel.
EU agrees to exclude Russia’s biggest bank from SWIFT
EU leaders also agreed to include a measure to exclude Russia’s Sberbank from the SWIFT financial messaging system in their sixth sanctions package targeting Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
EU leaders also agreed to cut off the largest Russian bank, Sberbank, from the SWIFT system and to ban three more Russian state-owned broadcasters, European Council President Charles Michel said.
Moscow advances in Donbas
Russia has pressed its attacks in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation remained “extremely difficult”.
After failing to capture Kyiv in three months of its invasion, Russia has been seeking to seize the entire Donbas, consisting of Luhansk and Donetsk which Moscow claims on behalf of separatist proxies.
Donbas cities are being hammered by Russia with relentless artillery and missile barrages. “There, in the Donbas, the maximum combat power of the Russian army is now gathered,” Zelensky said on Monday.
As per reports, capturing the twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets river would give Moscow effective control of Luhansk in Donbas, allowing the Kremlin to declare some form of victory after more than three months of the invasion that started on February 24.
Putin has 3 years to live, losing eyesight due to ‘severe’ form of cancer
A Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer has claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin has been given just three years to live by doctors, reports said.
Putin “has no more than two to three years to stay alive”, the FSB officer said, adding the Russian president has “a severe form of rapidly progressing cancer”, Independent reported.
The report also mentioned that FSB defector Boris Karpichkov claimed to have been told in message from the unidentified Russian spy that Putin is losing his sight and suffering from headaches.
Ukrainians opposing Russian occupation explode car bomb in Melitopol
A car bomb exploded in the Russia-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Monday, leaving several people injured in what Russia’s Investigative Committee and a Ukrainian official said may have been the work of Ukrainians opposed to Russia.
“On 30 May 2022, an explosion reportedly took place in the centre of Melitopol near a residential building at the time of distribution of humanitarian aid, which was organized by Ukrainian saboteurs,” Russian investigative committee said.
The committee added that preliminary information revealed three people were injured as a result.
Russia grain producers say they are boosting reserve stocks
Russia, one of world’s top grain producers, is using export disruptions caused by sanctions to strengthen its reserves, the chairman of the country’s grain union said on Monday.
Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and Western sanctions have disrupted deliveries of wheat and other commodities from the two countries, sparking concerns of the risk of hunger around the world.
Russia and Ukraine produce around a third of the global wheat supply.
“Our stocks are nearly 20 percent higher than last year… Instead of supplying the world market, we are replenishing our own stocks,” Reuters quoted Russian Grain Union chief Arkady Zlochevsky as saying at a press conference.
US says not selling rockets to Ukraine that can reach Russia
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach into Russia.
The comments came amid reports that the Biden administration was preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems to Kyiv.
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