On May 3 in Strasbourg the European Commission is to discuss the 6^th package of sanctions against Russia because of the war it is waging in Ukraine. On May 4 the proposal will be presented to the member countries for approval.

The EU refuses to pay for gas purchases from Russia in rubles; the EU should prepare for a breakdown in gas supplies, the European Commission and the French Presidency warned after the meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels, world news agencies report.

“Paying rubles through the conversion mechanism managed by the Russian public authorities and a second dedicated account in Gazprombank is a violation of the sanctions and cannot be accepted,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson stated. She admitted that the EU can replace only two-thirds of the 150 billion cubic metres of gas with alternative sources. As an alternative, Kadri Simson called for the diversification of electricity generation.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has announced that 12 Russian attacks in Donbas had been thwarted in the past 24 hours. A Ukrainian counterattack has pushed the Russian army 40 kms. East of Kharkiv, the Pentagon says.