International efforts to respond to Russian invasion of Ukraine pick up pace

A Ukrainian serviceman walks past a blown Russian APC near Kutuzivka, north of Kharkiv, east Ukraine (Mstyslav Chernov/AP)

Europe is pushing to sharpen its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Sweden poised to follow Finland in seeking membership of Nato and EU officials working to rescue proposed sanctions that would target Russian oil exports helping the Kremlin finance its war.

On the ground, Russia saw more setbacks in its offensive in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian defenders are fighting desperately against attempted Russian advances and even successfully rolling back the front lines in some areas.