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The European Union is proposing a complete ban on Russian oil by the end of the year, a dramatic step for a continent that has had to weigh its growing support for Ukraine's defense with its own reliance on energy imported from Moscow.
The plan to deprive the Kremlin of a key source of revenue will have to be approved by the bloc's 27 member states. It forms part of a broader set of sanctions as Europe takes new action to punish and pressure Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Russian forces bombarded infrastructure across the country late Tuesday, seemingly targeting power hubs and railways, while its offensive in the east struggled to make progress.
In Mariupol, the last Ukrainian defenders and some civilians faced a new Russian assault that brought heavy fighting to the Azovstal steel plant — but there was relief as one wave of more than a hundred people made it to safer territory after weeks trapped in the key port city's final stronghold.
Evacuations continued Wednesday, when more than 300 civilians from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak and Vasylivka were evacuated to Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine asks U.S. for anti-ship missiles, drones, rocket launchers
Ukraine is asking the Biden administration for anti-ship missiles to secure ports that have been blocked by Russia’s navy, as well as more capable drones and multiple rocket launcher systems that can strike Russian forces at a longer distance, according to Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy conveyed the request to Crow and other lawmakers who visited Kyiv over the weekend, who then relayed the wish list to President Joe Biden directly, Crow told NBC News.
Ukraine said it needed U.S.-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles or similar weapons to free up the use of the Black Sea port of Odesa and other ports for the export of millions of tons of grain and food. The ports are under a de facto naval blockade by Russian forces off the coast, Crow said.
More than 300 evacuated Wednesday from Mariupol, other towns, U.N. says
The United Nations said more than 300 civilians from the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol and four other towns have been evacuated to Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia in a second successful operation to get civilians out of areas subject to Russian shelling and attacks.
Osnat Lubrani, the U.N. humanitarian chief in Ukraine, said in a statement that many of the civilians from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak and Vasylivka came Wednesday with nothing but the clothes they were wearing and are now getting humanitarian assistance. She said they will also receive “much-needed psychological support.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the 344 people evacuated Wednesday are in addition to the more than 150 people who were evacuated earlier this week from the bunkers under the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian troops and was reported to have come under renewed fire Wednesday.
No civilians were reported to have been evacuated from the plant Wednesday. Zelenskyy said agreement is being sought to save those remaining at Azovstal, including women and children.
U.S. military sends howitzer artillery to Ukraine
Ukraine welcomes E.U.’s proposed oil embargo
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the European Union’s decision to propose an embargo on Russian oil. In a video message posted on Twitter, he said that Ukraine isn’t happy it will be delayed for several months but that “it’s better than nothing.”
Kuleba said it should be clear now “that times for half-sanctions or half-measures when it comes to sanctions is gone.” He said the E.U. can no longer support Ukraine on one hand by imposing sanctions while continuing to pay Russia for oil and gas and support its “war machine.”
He also said that if any country continues to oppose the embargo, it will be a reason to say the country is complicit in the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.
The proposals, which need unanimous approval from E.U. countries, are likely to be the subject of fierce debate. Hungary and Slovakia have already said they won’t take part in any oil sanctions. They could be granted exemptions.
Majority of Russian forces have moved away from Mariupol, senior defense official says
The majority of Russian forces that were in and around the besieged southern city of Mariupol have moved north, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
There had been about 10 battalion-tactical groups, or about 10,000 troops, in the city, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Now there are around 2,000, they added.
The others have moved north and are likely to join the fight in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, the official said.
Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment for nearly two months, leaving residents trapped with little food, clean water or medical care.
A U.S. assessment had concluded that Russian progress was still slow and uneven and that it had stalled in some cases, the official said.
Russian strikes in Ukraine’s west have been going after critical infrastructure, specifically electrical and some railroads, they added.
Netherlands assessing whether to supply more heavy weapons to Ukraine
The Netherlands is assessing whether it can join Germany, Belgium and the U.K., among others, to supply more heavy weapons to Ukraine, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday.
Rutte wrote on Twitter that he had praised Ukraine’s steadfastness in the battle against Russia for the eastern Donbas region in a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine’s fight to defend democracy and sovereignty, in the short and long term,” he said.
Hungary won’t support ban on Russian oil
Hungary’s foreign minister said the country won’t support a European Union proposal to ban oil imports from Russia in a move that could derail the bloc’s efforts to apply united pressure against Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
In a video on social media, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Wednesday that Hungary’s energy supply “would be completely destroyed” by an E.U. embargo of Russian oil, which he said would make it “impossible for Hungary to obtain the oil necessary for the functioning of the Hungarian economy.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that E.U. member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year as part of a sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
The proposals must be approved unanimously to take effect, and reluctance by governments in Hungary and Slovakia to support sanctions against Russian fossil fuels has placed roadblocks before a united E.U. response.