Did diplomacy or pressure shape 3 May 2022?
A look back at a day when talk of peace, sanctions and Western support ran alongside continued fighting in eastern Ukraine.
What did diplomacy look like on 3 May 2022, as the war in Ukraine continued? The picture combined signals of openness to talks, a Russian move on sanctions and new tensions between Kyiv and one neighbour.
Talks and counter-sanctions
On 3 May 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia was ready to continue peace negotiations with Ukraine. The assurance came amid fears that talks between the two countries had stalled.
The same day, Putin signed a decree that would allow the Russian government to terminate any business and exports with entities and people it deemed "unfriendly". It was a response to the international sanctions imposed over the invasion.
The sanctions argument
In the preceding days, the debate over sanctions had been shaped from several directions. On 1 May 2022, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany might lift sanctions against Russia if it completely withdrew its troops from Ukraine. That set a condition for relief rather than a timetable.
On the same date, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, that the next EU sanctions package on Russia must include an oil embargo. Otherwise, he said, the West would be supporting Ukraine with one hand while financing the Russian war machine with the other.
Support from Washington
Also on 1 May 2022, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Kyiv and met Ukrainian diplomats. Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, described the visit as symbolic and said Ukraine expected approval of a bill for an additional 33 billion dollars in funding to support Ukraine over the coming months. Adam Schiff, chair of the US House Intelligence Committee, said a visit to Ukraine by President Joe Biden was only a matter of time.
Tension with Hungary and fighting in the east
On 2 May 2022, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, accused Hungary of having advance knowledge of the Russian invasion. He said Putin had warned Hungary and that Hungary had plans to annex parts of Western Ukraine.
Fighting continued meanwhile. On 1 May 2022, Russian artillery fire near Izium in the Kharkiv region killed three people and wounded eight. Oleh Synehubov, head of the regional military administration, said Russian forces were trying to advance towards Udy, Prudianka and Stary Saltiv.
What the day showed
Taken together, 3 May 2022 sat between two tracks. Moscow said it was open to negotiation while formalising its response to sanctions. Kyiv pressed partners for tougher measures, particularly on oil, and for funding, while its own relations with a neighbouring EU state grew sharper. Meanwhile the shelling near Izium showed that the military pressure had not paused.
