As Ukraine Resists Russian Offensive, EU Pushes Plan to Ban Oil Imports

As Ukraine Resists Russian Offensive, EU Pushes Plan to Ban Oil Imports

Ukraine reported Monday that its forces had pushed Russian troops back from the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Some of the troops pushed even farther north from Kharkiv to reach the Russian border, Ukrainian defense¹ officials said. The claims could not be independently confirmed. Kharkiv is Ukraine's second largest city after Kyiv.

The Associated Press reported that a group of soldiers documented their push to the Russian border in a video. The video was published Sunday on Facebook by Ukraine's defense ministry².

The video showed a group of about 12 soldiers gathered around a wooden post painted in blue and yellow -- Ukraine's colors. The soldiers placed the post in the ground in a sign of victory. It was not clear exactly where the video was shot.

If confirmed, Ukraine's latest success against Russian forces would signal another gain in momentum³ for Ukrainian troops in the conflict. The war began when Russian troops launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Kharkiv sits about 50 kilometers south of Russia's border. The city had experienced weeks of heavy Russian bombardments. Russia's retreat from the city comes after the country's failure to capture Ukraine's capital Kyiv earlier in the war.

As fighting continued across Ukraine, international efforts to punish Russia for its aggression⁴ pressed ahead.

In Brussels, European Union (EU) officials met Monday to consider additional economic sanctions against Russia. The EU has already proposed a ban on Russian oil imports. But several small nations, led by Hungary, have opposed the ban because they are highly dependent on Russian oil.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that diplomats⁵ were working to resolve the concerns of nations opposed to the ban. But he added, "I cannot ensure that it is going to happen because positions are quite strong."

Existing sanctions against Russia, along with weapons assistance provided by Western nations, have helped Ukraine's forces slow Russia's offensive.

Still, thousands of people have been killed in Ukraine during the war. The dead include many civilians⁶. Major cities have been heavily bombed and more than six million people have fled their homes to seek refuge in neighboring states.

Russia, which calls its invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation," has denied targeting civilians during the conflict.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that the war "is not going as Moscow had planned." He added: "Ukraine can win this war."

In another defeat for Russia, Sweden was expected Monday to officially declare its decision to join NATO. Finland made a similar move last week. The decisions mark a clear change for the two Nordic nations, which have long held positions of neutrality.

During a debate in parliament in Stockholm, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson explained Sweden's new change in policy. "Europe, Sweden and the Swedish people are living now in a new and dangerous reality," she said.

Russia's government has warned of "far-reaching consequences" if the two nations move forward with their plans to join NATO.

In another development, American-based restaurant company McDonald's announced it was closing its 847 stores in Russia because of the conflict. The move comes after many other Western companies sold off their Russian properties to support international sanctions.

In a statement, McDonald's said the company had decided⁷ it can no longer do business in Russia. It said the "humanitarian⁸ crisis" had resulted in an "unpredictable operating environment."

Words in This Story

post – n. a stick or pole that is placed in the ground to support something or to hold a sign

momentum – n. the way in which something continues to move, increase or develop

retreat – v. to move away from a place or person in order to escape from fighting or danger

sanction – n. an order given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting trade with that country

ensure – v. to make sure that something happens

consequence – n. the result of an action or situation

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

4 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。