Summary of the day
Russia launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure to date.
More than a million Ukrainians were left without power.
Ukraine’s grid is got urgent assistance from Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Ukraine’s state hydropower company said that a Russian strike hit the country’s largest dam, the DniproHES in Zaporizhzhia, but that there was no risk of a breach.
In a sharply-worded post, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, said “Russian missiles have no delays, unlike aid packages for Ukraine.”
The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, spoke out after Russia targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, writing that “this must stop! All responsible will be held to account.”
The Kremlin stepped up its rhetoric over the conflict, saying that Russia was “in a state of war” in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government responded to a report in the Financial Times that the US had urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, with the deputy prime minister, Olha Stefanishyna, saying that oil refineries in Russian territory are legitimate military targets.
The European Commission proposed to increase the tariffs on imports into the EU of cereals, oilseeds, and derived products from Russia and Belarus.
EU heads of state and government met for a second day in Brussels, where they discussed issues including agriculture and the economy.
EU leaders will return to the issue of raising money for defence spending via the European Investment Bank in a couple of months, Paschal Donohoe, the president of the Eurogroup, said.
The prime ministers of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia issued a joint statement noting that “we discussed together our readiness to recognise Palestine and said that we would do so when it can make a positive contribution and the circumstances are right.”
Ahead of the European elections in June, leaders are keeping a close eye on farmers’ protests.
In their summit conclusions today, they wrote:
The European Council reverted to the current challenges in the agricultural sector and concerns raised by farmers.
It took stock of the ongoing work at European level. The European Council invites the Commission and the Council to take work forward without delay, notably on:
a) all possible short- and medium-term measures and innovative solutions, including those to reduce the administrative burden and to achieve simplification for farmers;
b) strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain, in particular to ensure a fair income;
c) easing the farmers’ financial strain by designing means of additional support, such as for example extending the temporary framework on State aid, and report back to the next European Council;
d) ensuring rules-based and fair competition globally and in the internal market;
e) addressing issues related to the Autonomous Trade Measures for Ukraine in a fair and balanced way while preparing a solution in the framework of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.
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