June 2, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Helen Regan, Adrienne Vogt, Meg Wagner, Aditi Sangal and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, June 3, 2022
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9:54 p.m. ET, June 1, 2022

Kremlin says US "adds fuel to fire" by supplying weapons to Kyiv

From CNN's Anna Chernova

The US is "adding fuel to the fire" by supplying weapons to Kyiv, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday in response to President Joe Biden’s decision to provide more advanced missile systems to Ukraine.

"We believe that the United States is purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire," Peskov told reporters on a regular conference call.

The Ukrainian authorities have long asked the United States to supply high-tech, medium-range rocket systems. Biden said Tuesday the US is providing Ukraine "more advanced rocket systems and munitions" as its war with Russia grinds on.

"Such supplies do not contribute to the Ukrainian leadership’s willingness to resume peace negotiations,” Peskov said.

Peskov also added the Kremlin does not trust Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's words that Kyiv would not use multiple launch rocket systems to attack the Russian territory if they receive them from the US.

2:37 p.m. ET, June 2, 2022

Biden announces new rockets and munitions to Ukraine

From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Natasha Bertrand

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday the US is providing Ukraine "more advanced rocket systems and munitions" as its war with Russia grinds on.

Writing in a New York Times op-ed, Biden said the US goal is "to see a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine with the means to deter and defend itself against further aggression."

He said the new shipment of arms would "enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine."

In a statement a day later, Biden said the US would "keep providing Ukraine with more of the weapons that they are using so effectively to repel Russian attacks."

He said the new package would include "new capabilities and advanced weaponry," including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems with battlefield munitions.

"We will continue to lead the world in providing historic assistance to support Ukraine's fight for freedom," Biden wrote in the statement.

Senior administration officials confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that the US will send Ukraine US-made rocket systems as part of the US' 11th package of security assistance to Ukraine.

The officials said the systems that the US is sending Ukraine will be equipped with munitions that will allow Ukraine to launch rockets about 49 miles. That is far less than the systems' maximum range, but far greater than anything Ukraine has been sent to date.

Read more:

12:02 a.m. ET, June 2, 2022

Why Russia isn't hurting even as it cuts off Europe's gas

From CNN's Anna Cooban

A general view of the Astora underground natural gas storage facility on May 12 in Rehden, Germany. Russia has announced sanctions against dozens of western energy companies, including Gazprom Germania, of which Astora is a subsidiary. 
A general view of the Astora underground natural gas storage facility on May 12 in Rehden, Germany. Russia has announced sanctions against dozens of western energy companies, including Gazprom Germania, of which Astora is a subsidiary.  (David Hecker/Getty Images)

Russia's increasingly aggressive actions against its European gas customers are taking a toll. The country's natural gas exports have tumbled by more than a quarter since January. But surging prices have kept Russia's coffers bulging as it continues to cut off deliveries.

Moscow's gas exports to countries outside of its Commonwealth of Independent States, which includes 11 countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, fell nearly 28% in the first five months of 2022, Russian state energy giant Gazprom (GZPFY) said on Wednesday.

So far, Gazprom has cut off at least 20 billion cubic meters of its annual gas supplies to customers in six European countries — Poland, BulgariaFinland, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands — because they failed to make payments in rubles, a demand President Vladimir Putin made back in March.

That amounts to nearly 13% of the European Union's total annual gas imports from Russia, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

But James Huckstepp, head of EMEA gas analytics at S&P Global Commodity Insights, told CNN Business that gas prices have risen to an average of €96 per megawatt hour ($102) in 2022 from last year.

As a result, "it is unlikely that [Russia] will see significantly less revenue until further cuts are made," Huckstepp said.

Read the full story:

12:03 a.m. ET, June 2, 2022

19 EU nations are speeding up their renewables transition 

From CNN's Ivana Kottasová

The sun rises between wind turbines and high voltage power lines in the Hannover region of Germany on March 8.
The sun rises between wind turbines and high voltage power lines in the Hannover region of Germany on March 8. (Julian Stratenschulte/picture-alliance/dpa/AP)

Despite concerns that Russia’s war in Ukraine might mean a return to more fossil fuels, most countries in the European Union are laying out more ambitious plans to boost renewables.

Nineteen of the EU’s 27 member states have announced more ambitious medium-term plans in response to the war and soaring fossil fuel prices, according to a new report from Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, an independent research group based in Finland, and Ember, a UK energy think tank.

The report, published Thursday, said that compared to their plans in 2019, EU countries have slashed the total amount of power they are aiming to source from fossil fuels by 2030 by almost a third. 

Instead of sourcing 55% of electricity from renewables, as previously planned, EU countries are now aiming to achieve a 63% share by 2030, the report said. As of January 2022, the EU was sourcing 22% of its energy from renewables. 

“The electricity transition is not solely an issue of climate concerns, but also one of ensuring stable supplies of energy for European households and businesses,” the report said. “This is especially obvious for the biggest importers of Russian fuels, with Germany, Italy and the Netherlands scaling up wind and solar ambitions, France subsidising housing insulation, and others ramping up heat pump installations and electrifying transport.” 

The report said that Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark are on a path to source almost all of their electricity from renewables by 2030. 

Germany, the largest importer of oil and gas from Russia, is now planning to source 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, up from 62% it has previously announced. Italy, Ireland and Greece are all coming for up to a 70% share of renewables in electricity production, the report added.

The EU has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, and become carbon neutral by 2050. Being carbon neutral means emissions are dramatically reduced and any that remain are offset, whether using natural methods like tree planting or technology to "capture" emissions. 

Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the three countries with the lowest planned shared of renewables, have not updated their plans since 2019, the report said. 

The report comes just days after Hungary negotiated an exemption from the EU’s ban on Russian oil imports. The oil embargo, which is a part of a new EU sanction package against Russia over its war on Ukraine, includes around 90% of Russian oil imports, but not the roughly 10% that flows to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline.

Poland has agreed to the embargo and will stop importing Russian oil, but it is still planning to source 67% of its electricity from fossil fuels in 2030, because of its large reliance on coal. 

12:15 a.m. ET, June 2, 2022

Ukraine is losing up to 100 soldiers every day, Zelensky says

Uraine is losing 60 to 100 soldiers every day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Newsmax in an interview that aired on Tuesday.

The situation in the east [of Ukraine] is very difficult. We are losing 60 to 100 soldiers every day and something like 500 wounded in combat,” Zelensky said.

The President also told Newsmax that shipments of grain are being blocked by Russia in the Black Sea.

"Currently, 22.5 millions tons of grain are blocked by Russia," Zelensky said. "In order to de-block this territory with an exit to the sea, with an exit to water, with an exit to our people, we need to fight and we need to have weapons with effective range as far as 120-140 kilometers."

Some context: Earlier on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced a new package of rocket systems to be sent to Ukraine. Senior administration officials said the rocket systems would have the capability to launch rockets as far as 80 kilometers, far less than the long range weaponry Zelensky has asked for, but far greater than anything Ukraine has been sent to date.

In the interview with Newsmax, Zelensky was adamant the rockets would be used in Ukraine – not on Russian soil.

"I know some of the people in the United States are saying, or people in the White House are saying, we might be using them to attack Russia: Look, we're not planning to attack Russia. We're not interested in the Russian Federation. We're not fighting on their territory,” Zelensky said.
“We have the war on our territory. They came to our country. We want to de-block our cities. For that purpose, we need ammo that can reach as far as 100 kilometers."