Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a significant trip to Ukraine's war-torn east on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as Russian forces tightened their grip around key cities in the Donbas region.
Since failing to capture the capital Kyiv in the early stages of the war, Russia has shifted its focus to the eastern Donbas region, attempting to consolidate areas under its control.
On his trip, Zelensky visited the city of Kharkiv and its surroundings, where Russian forces have retreated in recent weeks. His office posted a video on Telegram of him wearing a bullet-proof vest and being shown destroyed buildings.
"In this war, the occupiers are trying to squeeze out at least some result," Zelensky said in a later Telegram post Sunday. "But they should have understood long ago that we will defend our land to the last man," he added.
Oil Embargo ¶
As part of his trip, Zelensky was set to speak to European Union leaders at an emergency summit on Monday, May 30, 2022, to decide on a Russian oil embargo.
Member states were considering excluding Russian pipeline oil as they sought to break the deadlock on a sixth round of economic sanctions, EU sources told AFP.
'Constant Shelling' ¶
The situation in Lysychansk had become "significantly worse," the regional governor of the Lugansk region, Sergiy Gaiday, said on Telegram. "A Russian shell fell on a residential building, a girl died and four people were hospitalised," he said.
Unstable Water Supply ¶
The water supply is also increasingly unstable, and residents have gone more than two weeks without a mobile phone connection, he added.
'New Face' ¶
On his trip, Zelensky discussed reconstruction plans with local officials, saying there was a chance for areas devastated by Russian attacks to "have a new face".
According to local officials, over 2,000 apartment blocks have been wholly or partially destroyed by Russian shelling in the region.
Emergency Summit ¶
As part of his efforts to crank up international pressure on Moscow, Zelensky will speak to EU leaders at their emergency summit on Monday, May 30, 2022.
A new round of European sanctions has been held up by Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban has close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Under a new proposal put to national negotiators on Sunday, the Druzhba pipeline could be excluded from a sanctions package, which would only target oil shipped to the EU by tankers.
