Russia-Ukraine updates

Most of Severodonetsk’s buildings destroyed

The “liberation” of Ukraine’s Donbass is an “unconditional priority” for Moscow, whereas other Ukrainian territories should decide their future, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Zelenskyy claims all critical infrastructure in Severodonetsk has been destroyed and 90 percent of the buildings damaged as the Ukrainian forces struggle to keep Russia at bay in attempts to seize the key city of the eastern region of Lugansk.

Zelenskyy visits the troops on the front line in the northeast region of Kharkiv in Ukraine, his first official appearance outside the capital Kyiv since the beginning of the war.

The Ukrainian leader said that he fired the head of the security services in Kharkiv for “not working to defend the city” since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Members of the European Union have failed to reach an agreement over an embargo on Russian oil, an EU official told Reuters.