Kyiv, Ukraine, May 30, 2022 (AFP) – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky urged the leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) to end their internal disputes and reach an agreement on vetoing oil from Russia. Drive towards the city center of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.

“We need to end all disagreements in Europe,” Zelensky said, speaking via video conference at an EU summit in Brussels.

“It’s time to be a united whole, not split, not fragmented,” he said.

The sixth package of sanctions against Russia includes, among other measures, the controversial embargo on European imports of Russian oil.

When Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reached the summit, “There are no commitments for now, so there is no agreement.” said.

Landlocked Hungary imports 65% of the oil it consumes from Russia and, together with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, requested an exception to the import ban.

Hoping to unblock the situation, European diplomats propose a two-stage embargo: the first will focus on Russian oil reaching the EU by sea, and the second on crude oil arriving by pipeline, as in Hungary.

Diplomats said the embargo on affected countries was delayed by two years, but Budapest wants at least four years and around 800m euros in European funding to adapt its refineries.

On Monday, both Dutch state energy provider GasTerra and Danish energy provider Orsted warned to cut Russian gas supplies from Tuesday, as they refused to pay rubles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that buyers of Russian gas from “enemy” countries pay in rubles from Russian bills or risk running out of supply, due to European sanctions on Moscow.

In Washington, US President Joe Biden said that he would not provide Ukraine with long-range rocket launch systems that could reach Russian soil.

military front

On the military front, the situation remains very complex in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces continue their offensive in the Donbass and increase the pressure on the cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk.

Luhansk regional governor Sergei Gaidai said the situation in Severodonetsk, near the Donets River, was “very difficult”.

“The Russians are advancing to half of Severodonetsk. The fighting continues, the situation is very difficult,” he said.

Catherine Colonna, France’s new foreign minister, visiting Ukraine, said her country would “strengthen” arms deliveries to Ukrainians to fight Russian aggression.

At a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, the minister said “support will continue” and will arrive in the coming weeks.

The minister’s visit took place on the day that French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff of the BFM television network died while watching a civilian evacuation operation near Severdonetsk.

“Kherson, resist”

Since its failed attempt to seize the capital, Kiev, in the first weeks of the war, the Russian army focused its attack south and east, and carried out incessant artillery and missile bombardment.

However, over the weekend, Ukrainian forces counterattacked in the southern Kherson region, the only part of the country fully controlled by Russian troops.

The Russians took almost complete control of Kherson, on the border of the Crimean peninsula, at the beginning of the war (annexed by Moscow in 2014). The pro-Russian authorities established there are calling for annexation to Russia.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the offensive in the region was limited, but put the Russians in “negative positions” around the cities of Andriyivka, Lozovo and Bilohorka, forcing Moscow to send reserves to the area.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff tweeted on Sunday, “Kherson, resist. We are close.”

Also in the south of Melitopol, Russian-appointed officials condemned a “terrorist attack” that left a bomb-laden vehicle detonated in the center of the city and injured two people.

“The Ukrainian government continues its war against the civilian population and the infrastructure of cities,” the officials said.

The conflict in Ukraine also blocked maritime traffic in the Black and Azov Seas, affecting global food supplies.

Putin told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Monday that Moscow is willing to work with Ankara to reopen maritime traffic in these areas.

“This also applies to grain exports from Ukrainian ports,” the Kremlin said in a statement.