Russian troops are “storming” the eastern city of Severodonetsk and have “consolidated in the city center,” said Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration on Wednesday.

Russia carried out assaults on Tuesday in the “northern, southern and eastern districts of Severodonetsk,” Hayday said.

And Russians now control “most” of the city, he said.

Hayday said a Russian air strike hit a tank of nitric acid at a chemical plant in Severodonetsk at 6:55 p.m. local time on Tuesday. The militia of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic has blamed Ukrainian forces for the explosion.

Colombo: India on Tuesday said it has delivered one more consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Sri Lanka to help ease the acute fuel shortage in the debt-ridden island nation which is grappling with its worst economic crisis.

India extended an additional USD 500 million credit line to Sri Lanka last month to help the neighbouring country import fuel as it has been struggling to pay for imports after its foreign exchange reserves plummeted sharply in recent times, causing a devaluation of its currency and spiralling inflation.

India on May 23 delivered around 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol to Sri Lanka.

“Powering #SriLanka !!!! A shipment of 40,000 MT of diesel supplied under #Indian assistance reached #Colombo yesterday (Monday) evening,” the Indian High Commission tweeted.

India and Sri Lanka signed a USD 500 million Line of Credit Agreement for the purchase of petroleum products on February 2, 2022.

With the economic crisis and the shortage of forex, the Indian credit line of 500 million for fuel imports has provided a lifeline to the island nation, which is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948.

With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for months.

A total of close to 400,000 MT of various types of fuel have been delivered with Indian assistance in March and April.

In keeping with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, New Delhi has extended this year alone support worth over USD 3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka for helping them overcome their current difficulties.

Brussels: EU leaders have said that they will block most Russian oil imports by the end of 2022 to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine, media reports said.

The EU-wide ban will affect oil that arrives by sea – around two-thirds of imports – but not pipeline oil, following opposition from Hungary, BBC reported.

Poland and Germany have also pledged to end pipeline imports, meaning a total of 90 per cent of Russian oil will be blocked.

European Council chief Charles Michel said the deal cut off a huge source of financing for the Russian war machine, BBC reported.

It is part of a sixth package of sanctions approved at a summit in Brussels, which all 27 member states have had to agree on.

Russia currently supplies 27 per cent of the EU’s imported oil and 40 per cent of its gas. The EU pays Russia around $430bn a year in return.

So far, no sanctions on Russian gas exports to the EU have been put in place, although plans to open a new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany have been frozen, BBC reported.

The UK – which gets 8% of its oil needs from Russia – has pledged to phase out Russian oil by the end of the year.

Oil prices climbed on news of the EU embargo, with Brent crude rising above $123 a barrel, its highest level since March.

EU members spent hours struggling to resolve their differences over the ban on Russian oil imports.
Hungary, which imports 65 per cent of its oil from Russia through pipelines, was its main opponent.

Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Because of this, the immediate sanctions will affect only Russian oil being transported into the EU over sea — two-thirds of the total imported from Russia.

Brussels, 31 May 2022:  The African Union has warned EU leaders that Moscows blockade of Ukraines ports risks “a catastrophic scenario” of food shortages and price rises, The Guardian reported.

Senegal President Macky Sall, who chairs the Union, said “the worst is perhaps ahead of us” if the current global food supply trends continue.

Speaking via video link to the 27 EU leaders’ meeting in Brussels, Sall said African countries have been hit hard by the global food crisis, because of their “strong dependence” on Russian and Ukrainian wheat. The situation is “worrying” for a continent that has 282 million people, he said.

“In the immediate future, we would like everything to be done to release available grain stocks and ensure transport and access to the market, to avoid a catastrophic scenario of shortages and generalised high prices,” Sall said.

Before the war, African countries imported 44 per cent of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine alone grew enough food for 400 million people.

Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports is contributing to what analysts have called a “perfect storm” for global food supplies, as farmers face rising oil and fertiliser costs and the lingering effect of Covid-induced labour restrictions. Drought is also threatening to reduce wheat harvests in countries including France, the US and India, The Guardian reported.

The head of the UN World Food Programme, David Beasley, had warned earlier this month that nearly 49 million people in 43 countries were on the edge of famine.

“In many countries, we are forced to make the heartbreaking decision to take food from hungry children to give it to starving children,” he said.

Sall said the price of fertiliser is now three times higher than in 2021, while cereal yields in Africa are forecast to be 20-50 per cent lower this year.

(IANS)