The invasion of Ukraine dominated the first day of the European Council of 30-31 May, which ended with a – suffered – agreement of the 27 on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia: stop only those by sea, temporarily exempting imports via oil pipeline. The European Council takes note of Kiev’s request for EU membership and will discuss it in June
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Media, Lithuania will send drones and other military equipment
Lithuania will send additional military equipment to Ukraine. The Kiev Independent reports. Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvidas Anushauskas announced that his country will provide more military aid: the next expedition will include antidrones and thermal visors, in addition to the Bayraktar drone. These supplies add to a previously announced package that will include armored vehicles, trucks and SUVs.
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EU summit, discussion on Kiev joining the June Council
“The European Council takes note of the preparation of the Commission’s opinions on the application for EU membership of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and will return to the subject at its June meeting”. This is stated in the conclusions on Ukraine adopted by the European Council today.
“The European Union and its member states will step up their efforts to reach out to third countries in order to support Ukraine in all these dimensions, counter Russian false narrative and information manipulation, and prevent evasion and avoidance of sanctions », we read again. -
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EU: agreement on embargo on Russian oil, stop imports by sea
The EU reaches an agreement on the embargo on Russian oil in the night between 30 and 31 May, part of the sixth package of sanctions against Moscow for the war in Ukraine that will be finalized tomorrow by the ambassadors of the 27 in Brussels: immediate stop to crude oil arriving from Russia to the EU by sea, the embargo instead postponed to that transported by oil pipelines. The adoption of “emergency measures” is foreseen in the event of supply interruptions. “Everyone must implement the EU guidelines on how to pay for Russian gas” in euros and not in rubles, asks Dutchman Rutte. Sberbank, the main Russian credit institution, is excluded from the swift system. Patriarch Kirill should also enter the EU black list. European Council ready to offer 9 billion for reconstruction in Ukraine.