Russian troops pushed farther toward the key eastern Ukrainian city of Syevyerodonetsk on May 30 in an onslaught that raged as EU leaders reached agreement on the next round of sanctions against Russia.
Russian shelling has reduced much of Syevyerodonetsk, the last city still held by Kyiv in the Luhansk region, to ruins. But Ukrainian forces say they have slowed the wider Russian campaign across the Donbas region.
Luhansk region Governor Serhiy Hayday said Russian troops had advanced to the outskirts of Syevyerodonetsk on the southeastern and northeastern sides. The Ukrainian military said Russian forces reinforced their positions in those areas.
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Hayday said the Russians were also pushing toward nearby Lysychansk.
But Ukrainian forces drove the Russians out of the village of Toshkivka to the south, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, potentially frustrating Moscow's push to encircle the area.
The Russian advance in Syevyerodonetsk and Lysychansk on either side of the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River is part of an all-out push that has been portrayed as part of a race against time for the Kremlin. The cities are key to Russian efforts to complete the capture of the Donbas before more Western arms arrive to bolster Ukraine’s defense.
Zelenskiy spoke with EU leaders on May 30, telling them they must be vigorous as they worked toward adopting a new set of sanctions.
"Europe needs to show strength because Russia only sees strength as an argument," Zelenskiy said on May 30 in a video speech to an EU summit intended to reinforce the bloc's support for Ukraine.
EU divisions over Russian oil imports slowed the adoption of a new sanctions package, but late on May 30 EU leaders agreed to ban most of the imports. They also agreed to the removal of Russia's Sberbank from the SWIFT messaging system, a ban on three more Russian state-owned broadcasters, and sanctions against individuals responsible for war crimes.
The EU has rolled out five packages of sanctions against Russia since its troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, but an agreement on oil sanctions proved elusive because so many countries depend on Russian crude.
Zelenskiy also warned EU leaders about the dangers of Russia's blockade on Ukraine's ports for global food prices and the risk of another global migration crisis as a result.
A "large-scale famine in Africa and Asia will mean a threat of a new large-scale migrant crisis for southern and southeastern Europe," Zelenskiy said, describing Russia's tactic as "food blackmail."
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow was ready to work with Ankara to free up Ukrainian ports.
Putin noted the “readiness” of Russia “to contribute to the unimpeded maritime transit of goods in coordination with Turkish partners,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in a readout of a call on May 30 with Erdogan. “This also applies to grain exports from Ukrainian ports."
Dozens of container ships are blocked in Ukrainian ports that are surrounded by Russian forces, choking off exports of wheat and other commodities from Russia and Ukraine, which together account for about 30 percent of global wheat exports.
Zelenskiy later discussed the situation at the ports, food security, and defense cooperation with Erdogan.
"Unanimously agree on the need to restore peace. We appreciate Turkey's assistance in this process," Zelenskiy said on Twitter.
In a potential setback for Ukraine, President Joe Biden said the United States will not supply Ukraine with long-range rocket systems that can reach into Russia.
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News reports last week said the Biden administration was leaning toward sending such systems, which Ukrainian government officials have sought for the fight against Russia.
"We're not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia," Biden told reporters on May 30 as he returned to Washington from his home in Delaware.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Washington's decision not to send the rocket systems was “rational.”