Kyiv's diplomatic push on sanctions, aid and Hungary
A look back at the diplomatic exchanges around Ukraine in the days up to 2 May 2022, from Kyiv's calls for an oil embargo to a sharp accusation aimed at Budapest.
What was Kyiv asking of its partners as 2 May 2022 began? The reports from that day and the two before it point to three demands: tougher sanctions, more money and clearer political backing.
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 Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned Budapest, and that Hungary had plans to annex parts of Western Ukraine.
Sanctions at the centre
On 1 May 2022, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, that the next EU sanctions package against Russia had to include an oil embargo. Otherwise, he said, the West would be supporting Ukraine with one hand while financing the Russian military machine with the other.
The same day, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany might lift sanctions against Russia if Russia fully withdrew its troops from Ukraine. A day earlier, on 30 April 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had said sanctions must be lifted as part of the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The positions were far apart.
Washington in Kyiv
Also on 1 May 2022, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Kyiv and met a number of Ukrainian diplomats. Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, called the visit symbolic. She added that Ukraine expected Congress to pass a bill providing a further $33 billion to support the country over the coming months.
Adam Schiff, chair of the US House Intelligence Committee, said that day that a visit to Ukraine by President Joe Biden was only a matter of time.
The front line
The diplomacy unfolded alongside continuing fighting. 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 the settlements of Udy, Prudianka and Staryi Saltiv.
