Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

The EU will proceed to work Monday towards an settlement to embargo Russian oil, after makes an attempt to take action on Sunday failed.

The talks are largely held up by Hungary, a serious consumer of Russian oil and whose chief Viktor Orban is on pleasant phrases with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Budapest over the weekend signaled help for a European Fee proposal that may apply sanctions solely on Russian oil introduced into the EU by tankers, which might enable landlocked vitality importers Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to proceed to obtain their Russian oil by way of pipeline till different sources might be discovered. Talks have been held up nevertheless by calls for from Hungary for EU financing.

The proposed sanctions on oil imports could be a part of the EU’s sixth sanctions bundle on Russia because it invaded Ukraine in late February.

Roughly 36% of the EU’s oil imports come from Russia. Vitality costs, already excessive at first of this 12 months, have skyrocketed since Putin launched the warfare towards Ukraine.

— Natasha Turak

The Russian military has doubtless suffered “devastating losses” amongst its mid and junior rating officers, which is able to doubtless exacerbate issues in modernizing its strategy to command and management, the U.Okay. protection ministry stated.  

Junior officers are main lowest degree tactical actions as a result of the military lacks extremely educated and empowered non-commissioned officers who fulfil that function in Western forces, the ministry stated in an intelligence replace.

“Extra instantly, battalion tactical teams (BTGs) that are being reconstituted in Ukraine from survivors of a number of items are prone to be much less efficient because of a scarcity of junior leaders,” the ministry added.

“Brigade and battalion commanders doubtless deploy forwards into hurt’s method as a result of they’re held to an uncompromising degree of accountability for his or her items’ efficiency,” the ministry stated.

The shortage of skilled and credible commanders can be prone to end in an additional drop in morale and continued poor self-discipline following a number of credible reviews of localized mutinies amongst Russian forces, the ministry added.

— Chelsea Ong

The world, significantly the West, ought to have been extra alert to Putin’s actions in Georgia and Ukraine in earlier years and may have extra actively engaged with Russia then, says Angus Blair, professor on the American College in Cairo.

The “liberation” of Ukraine’s Donbas is an “unconditional precedence” for Moscow, whereas different Ukrainian territories ought to resolve their future on their very own, RIA information company cited Russia’s International Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Sunday.

“The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk areas, acknowledged by the Russian Federation as impartial states, is an unconditional precedence,” Lavrov stated in an interview with French TV channel TF1, in accordance with RIA.

For the remainder of the territories in Ukraine, “the individuals ought to resolve their future in these areas,” he stated.

— Reuters

The European Union failed to achieve an settlement on a Russian oil embargo, a senior EU official told Reuters.

Diplomats will nonetheless attempt to make progress forward of a Monday-Tuesday summit on an exemption for pipeline deliveries to landlocked Central European international locations, officers advised the information company.

The proposed sanctions, which might be the EU’s sixth bundle in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are dealing with oil provide considerations from international locations together with landlocked Hungary.

Talks have been happening for a month, and would proceed Monday, Reuters stated.

— Leslie Josephs