- The president of Ukraine, critical of the EU, calls for tougher sanctions
- “Stop playing” with Russia, end the “senseless war” – Zelenskiy
- The EU summit could see division over sanctions
- The head of the Ukrainian armed forces is calling for more weapons
- Russia warns West not to give long-range weapons
Kyiv, May 27 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the West to stop playing with Russia and impose tougher sanctions to end its “senseless war” in Ukraine, adding that his country would remain independent, the only question was what price.
Zelensky’s criticism of the West has intensified in recent days as the European Union moves slowly toward a possible oil embargo on Russia and as thousands of Russian troops try to encircle the two eastern cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.
Three months after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has abandoned its assault on the capital Kyiv and is trying to consolidate control of the industrial region east of Donbas, where it has supported a separatist uprising since 2014.
Register now for FREE and unlimited access to Reuters.com
Sign up
Western military analysts see the battle for Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk as a possible turning point in the war following a shift in momentum toward Russia following the surrender of Ukraine’s garrison in Mariupol last week.
“Ukraine will always be an independent state and will not be broken. The only question is what price our people will have to pay for their freedom and what price Russia will pay for this senseless war against us,” Zelenskiy said in a nightly address. on Thursday.
“Catastrophic events could still be stopped if the world treated the situation in Ukraine as if it were facing the same situation, if the powers did not play with Russia but really put pressure to end the war.”
Zelenskiy complained about disagreements within the EU over further sanctions against Russia and asked why some countries were allowed to block the plan.
The EU is discussing a sixth round of punitive measures, including a embargo on Russian oil imports. It requires unanimity, but Hungary opposes the idea that its economy would suffer too much. Read more
Hungary needs 3-1 / 2 or 4 years to move away from Russian crude and make big investments to adjust its economy and until there is agreement on all issues, it cannot support the proposed oil embargo in the EU, said a senior Hungarian aide.
Zelenskiy said Russia would receive 1 billion euros a day from the 27-nation bloc for energy supply.
“How many more weeks will the European Union try to agree on a sixth package?” he asked.
“The pressure on Russia is literally a matter of saving lives. Every day of procrastination, weakness, various disputes or proposals to” pacify “the aggressor at the expense of the victim only means that more Ukrainians are killed.”
Zelenskiy’s comments mark the second day in a row that he has sharpened his criticism of the global approach to war.
On Wednesday, he shattered suggestions for Kyiv to make peace concessions, saying the idea smelled of attempts to appease Nazi Germany in 1938. Read more
An EU summit on May 30-31 could see divisions between members who want a hard line with Russia and those calling for a ceasefire. Read more
THE RUSSIANS ADVANCING
Russian forces attacked on Thursday from three sides in an attempt to encircle Ukrainian forces in Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, the Ukrainian military said. If the two cities fell on the Siverskiy Donets River, almost the entire Donbas province of Luhansk would be under Russian control.
Russia’s Donbas advance has been backed by massive artillery bombardment. The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that 50 cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces had been bombed.
Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said five civilians were killed in Sievierodonetsk in 24 hours.
On Thursday, he said about 150 people were buried in a mass grave in a Lysychansk district as it was too dangerous for families to collect the bodies and bury them individually. Russia says it is not targeting civilians.
The head of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, asked Telegram for more Western weapons, especially “weapons that allow us to strike the enemy at a great distance.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later warned that any supply of weapons that could reach Russian territory would be “a serious step towards an unacceptable escalation.”
DANGER OF CLIMBING
US-led Western countries have provided Ukraine with long-range weapons, including M777 shells and Harpoon anti-missile missiles, from Denmark.
Washington is even considering providing Kyiv with a hundreds-mile-long rocket system, and has held talks with Kyiv about the danger of escalation if it attacks Russia, diplomatic and US officials told Reuters. . Read more
“We have concerns about climbing, and yet we don’t want to set geographic boundaries or tie our hands too much with the things we’re giving them,” said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Russia describes its actions in Ukraine as a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist accusation is unfounded and that war is an act of unprovoked aggression.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped Ukraine would accept its demands in the peace talks. He wants Ukraine to recognize the Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula that Moscow seized in 2014 and the independence of the territory claimed by the separatists. Read more
Register now for FREE and unlimited access to Reuters.com
Sign up
Reuters office reports; Written by Michael Perry; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Robert Birsel
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.