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Russia intensifies Donetsk attacks as Ukraine backs EU asset push
CNBC • • world
Key Points:
- Russian forces have intensified attacks on key industrial cities in eastern Donetsk, including Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk, aiming to capture the region after over four and a half years of conflict.
- Russia's Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, claimed advances near Sloviansk and progress along a 160-kilometer front, though analysts from the Institute for the Study of War question the accuracy of these claims.
- Ukrainian sources report the most intense fighting is around Kostyantynivka, considered a strategic gateway to the Donbas region, with Russian forces shifting their offensive tactics after previous unsuccessful attempts.
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha supported a proposal by four EU countries to use frozen Russian central bank assets, exceeding 200 billion euros, to fund Ukraine's defense, emphasizing the need for rational discussion over emotional responses.
- The EU initiative to utilize frozen Russian assets stalled last year due to Belgium's liability concerns, and Russia has condemned the plan as "blatantly illegal."
