Pelosi in Kyiv and the sanctions debate on 1 May 2022

What did Western visits and sanctions talk mean for Ukraine on 1 May 2022? Reports from that day show a mix of symbolic support, pressure for tougher measures on Russia, and continued fighting in the east.

A visit to Kyiv

The US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Kyiv and met a number of Ukrainian diplomats. Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, described the visit as symbolic. She said Ukraine was waiting for Congress to pass a bill providing 33 billion dollars in additional funding to support the country over the coming months.

Also on 1 May 2022, the chair of the US House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said a visit to Ukraine by President Joe Biden was only a matter of time.

Sanctions on the agenda

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, that the next EU sanctions package against Russia must include an oil embargo. Otherwise, he argued, the West would be supporting Ukraine with one hand while financing the Russian war machine with the other.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany might lift sanctions against Russia if it completely 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 peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

On 29 April 2022, it had been reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an invitation to the upcoming G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also invited.

Shelling near Izium

The diplomacy unfolded alongside continued fighting. Russian artillery shelling near Izium in the Kharkiv region killed three people and wounded eight. The head of the regional military administration, Oleh Synehubov, said Russian forces were trying to advance towards the settlements of Udy, Prudianka and Staryi Saltiv.