May 30, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

US President Joe Biden took the opportunity to tie the solemnity of the US Memorial Day holiday on Monday to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“In this moment, when a war of aggression is once more be waged by Russia to snuff out the freedom and democracy the very culture and identity of neighboring Ukraine, see so clearly all that's at stake – freedom has never been free, democracy has always required champions," Biden said during remarks from the Arlington National Cemetery.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who introduced Biden, echoed the President's sentiment, highlighting in his speech the “power of democratic citizens and soldiers to defy tyranny, cruelty and oppression,” in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of the country continues.

The European Council aims to reach a political agreement on an embargo on Russian oil on Monday, a European Union official told CNN. 

This embargo will cover more than two-thirds of oil imports from Russia, which covers all seaborne oil from Russia, the official said. 

European Union diplomats failed to reach consensus Sunday on the terms of the embargo, but held further talks Monday in a bid to present a deal for approval by EU leaders at a summit later in the day.

Some temporary exceptions have been granted to ensure security of supply for certain member states, the official said, adding the council will come back to these exceptions “as soon as possible.” 

In addition to the oil embargo, the new sanctions package against Russia will include other substantial measures, including de-SWIFTing of the largest Russian bank Sberbank, a ban on further three Russian state-owned broadcasters, listing of individuals who have committed war crimes in Ukraine, according to the official. 

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin marked the annual US Memorial Day holiday in a short speech highlighting the “power of democratic citizens and soldiers to defy tyranny, cruelty and oppression,” in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of the country continues. Austin made the brief remarks to introduce President Joe Biden at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.

Austin said the US understands “the challenge” posed by the threat in Ukraine. “We’re determined to meet it,” he added.

“As the President says, in the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment. We draw inspiration from the unity of our allies and partners and we draw strength from the men and women of the United States military,” Austin said.

The European Union "cannot afford" for no agreement to be reached on the bloc's proposed sixth round of sanctions against Russia, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Monday.  

"I really hope there will be an agreement. We cannot afford there not to be," Metsola told a news conference in Brussels after meeting with the heads of EU member states.  

She acknowledged that while sanctions packages "are never easy to adopt" there is strong hope that the EU can "reach an agreement that can be one that is effective that has beef that has teeth."  

"Would we have liked it to go further? Of course. Do we still want it to go further? Of course. And we will continue to make this point," the European Parliament chief added.  

On the topic of Ukraine's application to become an EU member state, Metsola gave positive signals from the European Parliament's perspective.  

"In my view, we have no choice but to bring Ukraine even more close to us and the worst signal we could give at this point in time would be to show a hesitation. And what Ukraine needs right now is hope and perspective," she added.  

US President Joe Biden said he doesn't plan to ship any rockets to Ukraine that could reach Russian territory.

"I won't send anything that can fire into Russia," Biden said at the White House on Monday when asked whether he was planning to send long-range rockets to Ukraine.

CNN reported last week the Biden administration is preparing to step up the kind of weaponry it is offering Ukraine by sending advanced, long-range rocket systems that are now the top request from Ukrainian officials.

The administration is leaning toward sending the systems as part of a larger package of military and security assistance to Ukraine, which could be announced as soon as next week.

The administration has wavered on whether to send the systems amid concerns raised within the National Security Council that Ukraine could use the new weapons to carry out offensive attacks inside Russia, according to officials.

On Friday, after CNN first reported the news, Russians warned that the United States will “cross a red line” if it supplies the systems to Ukraine.

More background: The rocket systems the Biden administration is preparing to send to Ukraine are capable of firing different kinds of ammunition that reach a range of distances.

While some of the longer-range weapons can fire 300 miles (or about 500 kilometers) or more, the systems can also launch rockets with a range of just a few dozen miles — not considered long-range weapons but still able to reach a greater distance than the howitzers the US has already sent to Ukraine.

Biden's comments Monday leave open the possibility that the US could send the advanced, long-range rocket systems without the longest-range rockets.

CNN's Oren Liebermann and Alex Marquardt contributed reporting to this post.

The Ukrainian military has reported advances during its counteroffensive in the south and continuing efforts to hold off Russian advances in the eastern Donbas region.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported Monday additional Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian defenses in Luhansk and Donetsk, saying that artillery, airstrikes and missiles had been used in several places — including Lysychansk and Soledar.

Russian pressure on Severodonetsk, a city where two-thirds of properties have been reported as destroyed, continues — with the General Staff saying that hostilities persist in and around the city. 

As the Russians attack Ukrainian lines in Donbas from the south, east and north, there are conflicting claims about their progress. 

The General Staff said that fighting continues around the village of Komyshuvakha, to the southwest of Severodonetsk. Social media video geolocated by CNN appears to show a Chechen unit in the village, with drone footage suggesting Ukrainian soldiers retreating from the area. A Chechen commander says:  "This locality is now under our control, and we will begin storming all fronts. We have seized, completely, you could say, Komyshuvakha."

Ukraine has claimed some success in its offensive in the south, which began during the weekend. The General Staff said, "the enemy suffered losses and withdrew from the village of Mykolaivka, Kherson region, which led to panic among servicemen of other units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation." 

If Russian forces have withdrawn from Mykolaivka, it would represent a gain of several kilometers for Ukrainian units. 

The General Staff reported continued further cross-border shelling of settlements in the northern regions of Chernihiv and Sumy, as well as shelling of territory north of the city of Kharkiv which has recently been retaken by Ukrainian forces.

Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, said late Monday that while all parts of Luhansk region still under Ukrainian control are being attacked, "the situation in Severodonetsk is really the most difficult."

The official noted that Russian forces had been able to "push through territory from the outskirts of the city, where the Myr hotel is, and move a little deeper into the city. In the city now, there are and will be street battles."

CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko contributed reporting to this post.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, offered to host talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations in Istanbul, according to a Turkish readout of the call. 

Erdogan stressed to Putin the "need for steps that will minimize the negative effects of the war" and reestablish peace between Russia and Ukraine "as soon as possible," according to the readout.  

Russian and Ukrainian delegations last met for talks in Istanbul on March 29.  

A French journalist has been shot and killed in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted.

“Journalist, Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was in Ukraine to show the reality of the war. On board a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians forced to flee to escape the Russian bombs, he was fatally shot,” the French president tweeted.

BFM TV, a CNN affiliate, said that Leclerc-Imhoff was one of their journalists. On air, the outlet said he was 32 years old and had worked for BFM for six years.

Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, spoke late Monday about the death of the French journalist who was killed in the area Monday. He said Leclerc-Imhoff was being evacuated with others when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit.

"I don't know whether it was an air bomb or a large shell which pierced the armored glass with a fragment and the French journalist died. And he was in a helmet and in a bulletproof vest, but a piece hit him in the neck," he said.

CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko contributed reporting to this post.

A military victory against Russia is “unlikely” if the United States holds back supplies of long-range artillery, a senior Ukrainian official tells CNN. 

Alexey Arestovych, a Ukrainian presidential advisor, told CNN the weapons are “essential for fate of Ukraine and its independence.” 

US officials said last week they are considering a Ukrainian request for deliveries of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, MLRS, which can strike targets as far as 300 kilometers, or about 186 miles, depending on the type of munition. 

Arestovych told CNN that even a small number of the weapons systems — as few as 20 — would be a “game-changer” in the conflict with Russia, as he said it would enable Ukrainian troops to defend themselves against long-range Russian attacks. 

“But we would be looking at losing Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and parts of the Zaporizhzhia region,” he told CNN. 

But arming Ukraine with long-range rockets has raised concerns in the West that the MLRSs could be used to attack targets inside Russia, possibly escalating the conflict. 

Acknowledging those concerns, Arestovych told CNN that Ukraine would only use the weapons to defend their territory, not to attack Russia.