Budapest: Hungary’s foreign minister says the country won’t support a European Union proposal for banning 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 Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday that Hungary’s energy supply “would be completely destroyed” by an EU 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.”
Szijjarto’s statement came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that EU 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 unanimously approved to take effect, and reluctance by governments in Hungary and Slovakia to support sanctions against Russian fossil fuels has placed roadblocks before a united EU response.
Szijjarto said Hungary would only support the sixth round of sanctions if oil imports were exempted.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: — AP evidence points to 600 dead in Mariupol theater airstrike
— Russia storms Mariupol steel plant as some evacuees reach safety
— Pope Francis struggles to make progress in Ukraine peace effort
— Debt drama far from over for Russia even though it dodges default
— Fiji says US can seize Russian superyacht but not right away
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LONDON — Britain announced a further raft of sanctions against Russia, banning the country from doing business with management consultants, accounting and PR firms in the U.K.
The British government also imposed asset freezes and travel bans on journalists working for state-owned media and other broadcast organizations the U.K. Accuses of spreading propaganda.
The sanctioned individuals include three journalists embedded with Russian forces in Ukraine: Evgeny Poddubny, Alexander Kots and Dmitry Steshin.
The British government said the new sanctions would mean social media, internet services and app stores must take action to block content from two of Russia’s major sources of alleged disinformation, RT and Sputnik. Both have been pulled from British airwaves.
Tech and Digital Economy Minister Chris Philp said RT and Sputnik “have churned out dangerous nonsense dressed up as serious news to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”
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BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Russian President Vladimir Putin has “completely miscalculated with his brutal war of aggression against Ukraine” because it has led NATO to strengthen its eastern flank, resulted in comprehensive sanctions against Russia, and prompted large-scale military support for the Ukrainian side.
Scholz said Wednesday that Germany is currently considering supplying Ukraine with howitzers, in addition to Gepard anti-aircraft guns and other equipment the government has already agreed to send.
He spoke to reporters in Meseberg, near Berlin, alongside German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who announced plans to require that Russians who are subject to sanctions have to disclose their assets in Germany or risk fines.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the government is also planning to make it easier for Russians fleeing their home country to find work in Germany.
“We can really use them,” he said, but added that there would be security checks to ensure that “we don’t bring a lot of spies over here.” ___
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria’s parliament has approved providing additional aid to war-torn Ukraine following a debate that had rattled the governing coalition.
The proposal, introduced by the centrist party of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, was supported by 200 legislators. Sixteen were against, one abstained, while 23 lawmakers were not present.
The vote took place after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a letter to the parliament in Sofia. Instead of weapons deliveries, he reportedly asked for damaged Ukrainian military equipment to be repaired at Bulgarian plants and then sent back.
While three of the parties in the four-party ruling coalition had been in favor of sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the fourth party, the pro-Russian Socialists, threatened to quit the coalition if such aid were approved.
The decision also includes Bulgarian assistance for the export of Ukrainian grain via Bulgaria’s Black Sea ports, and Bulgaria importing electricity from Ukraine.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace reaffirmed his country’s strong support for Finland and Sweden potentially joining NATO.
Finland and Sweden are expected to announce next week whether to seek membership of the 30-nation alliance.
“I cannot conceive that we would not come to support,” Wallace told reporters. “We will do whatever we need to do.”
Wallace said Finland was “in a pole position” to join NATO and the British Parliament would be able to ratify a Finnish membership “quickly.”
Wallace on Wednesday observed a military exercise in western Finland involving troops from the United Kingdom, Latvia, the United States and Estonia.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country could not accept a deal with Moscow that would allow Russian troops to remain in occupied territory.
Speaking to participants in the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had halted the Russian offensive in what he described as the first stage of the conflict.
In the second stage, he said, Ukraine would expel Russian troops from its territory and in the third, would move to fully restore its territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy said he would not accept a cease-fire deal that would allow Russian forces to remain in their current positions. “We will not accept a frozen conflict,” the president said without giving further details.
Zelensky emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin must agree to meet him to negotiate any deal to end the fighting.
He said it was important to continue peace talks but noted that “until the Russian president signs it or makes an official statement, I don’t see the point in such agreements.”
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LVIV, Ukraine — New satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press suggest fighting may be ongoing at a besieged steel plant in Mariupol.
The Kremlin is denying that Russian forces are trying to storm the Azovstal plant, the last remaining holdout of Ukrainian fighters in the port city.
An image shot by Planet Labs PBC at dawn Wednesday showed black smoke rising at one side of the plant near a canal. Buildings at the plant, including one under which hundreds of fighters and civilians are likely hiding, showed large, gaping holes in the roof. Debris littered the grounds.
Meanwhile, another satellite photo showed that a recent Russian missile attack tore a hole in a key bridge near Odesa.
Russia has attacked the bridge on three occasions. Though it is still standing, a chunk of the bridge is missing toward its south end, the image shows.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s Interior Ministry says a road crash in the western Rivne region has killed 26 people and injured 12 more. The collision involved a bus, a van and a fuel truck, the ministry said. The bus had been headed to Poland, which has been a key destination for Ukrainian refugees.
According to a ministry statement, the accident occurred because the van “performed a maneuver to overtake another vehicle, and drove into the oncoming lane, where it collided with a fuel truck.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how a Poland-bound bus with 34 passengers on board became part of the accident.
___ MOSCOW — The Kremlin has rejected media reports that President Vladimir Putin might formally declare war on Ukraine on May 9, when Russia celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, and announce a broad mobilization.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports as “untrue” and “nonsense” at a daily conference call with reporters.
Western media reported earlier this month, citing U.K. And U.S. Officials, that Putin might pivot from a “special military operation” to an all-out war with Ukraine, which would allow him to introduce martial law and mobilize reservists.
The reports said Putin could announce the changes during Victory Day celebrations on May 9, Russia’s most important holiday. ___
MOSCOW — The Russian defense minister has warned that Moscow will see any Western transports carrying weapons into Ukraine as legitimate targets.
Sergei Shoigu’s statement Wednesday comes as the U.S. And other Western allies have increased shipments of weapons to Ukraine. Speaking at a meeting with top military officials, Shoigu denounced the West for “stuffing Ukraine with weapons.”
“Any NATO transports carrying weapons or resources for the Ukrainian military that arrives in the country’s territory will be seen by us as a legitimate target to be destroyed,” he said.
The Russian military has repeatedly reported strikes on Ukrainian depots containing Western weapons. Striking Western transports delivering them would mark a significant escalation in the conflict.
AP