Russian troops pushed deeper into a key eastern Ukrainian city Monday, fighting street by street with Kyiv’s forces in a battle that has left Severodonetsk in ruins. In a bid to pressure Moscow to end the war, the European Union agreed to embargo most Russian oil imports by the end of the year. As Moscow’s advance on Severodonetsk increased in intensity, Russian forces also shelled parts of Ukraine’s northeast, and a struggle continued for control of a southern region. That failure forced Moscow to withdraw, regroup, and pursue the more limited objective of seizing the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists already held swaths of territory and have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years. The agreement came after Zelensky asked the EU to target Russian oil exports so Moscow “feels the price for what it is doing against Ukraine.”The embargo covers Russian oil brought in by sea, allowing a temporary exemption for imports delivered by pipeline.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 31, 2022 06:33 UTC