KYIV, May 30 (Reuters/BBC): Russian troops entered the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, a regional governor said on Monday, describing the fighting as "very fierce" in a city that become a key objective for Moscow's offensive in the Donbas.
Shelling killed two civilians and wounded five others as Russian troops advanced into the city's southeastern and northeastern areas fringes, Luhansk region Governor Serhiy Gaidai said.
Incessant shelling has left Ukrainian forces defending ruins in Sievierodonetsk, but their refusal to withdraw has slowed a massive Russian offensive across the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
"Some 90 percent of buildings are damaged. More than two-thirds of the city's housing stock has been completely destroyed. There is no telecommunication," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised speech.
"Capturing Sievierodonetsk is a fundamental task for the occupiers ... We do all we can to hold this advance."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday said the "liberation" of the Donbas, an industrial region which includes Luhansk and Donetsk, was an "unconditional priority" for Moscow.
Ukrainian forces in the Donbas said they were on the defensive all day on Sunday. Russian forces fired on 46 communities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, killing at least three civilians, wounding two others or destroying or damaging 62 civilian buildings. Russian shelling also continued on Sunday across several regions such as in Novy Buh in Mykolaiv and Sumy.
European Union leaders will meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss a new sanctions package against Russia including an oil embargo.
EU governments have been unable to agree on a sixth package of sanctions against Moscow because the proposed embargo on Russian oil is not acceptable to Hungary and a big problem for Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Ahead of the summit, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck expressed fears that EU unity was "starting to crumble" and draft conclusions of the meeting, seen by Reuters, indicated there will be little in terms of new decisions.
But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said "there will be an agreement in the end," with a deal on the next sanctions package by Monday afternoon.
Separately, French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna will meet Zelensky in Kyiv later on Monday to offer more support for the country, the French foreign affairs ministry said.
A BBC report adds: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denied speculation that President Vladimir Putin is ill.
In an interview with French TV, Mr Lavrov said the Russian leader appears in public every day, and no sane person would see any signs of an ailment.
There has been increasing unconfirmed media speculation that Mr Putin, who turns 70 this year, may be suffering from ill health, possibly cancer.
The interview came as Russia continues its advance in Ukraine's Donbas region.
Mr Lavrov said the "liberation" of the eastern region was an "unconditional priority" for Russia.
He repeated the Kremlin's widely discredited line that Russia is fighting a "neo-Nazi regime".
Noting that President Putin regularly appeared in public, Mr Lavrov told TF1: "I don't think that sane people can see in this person signs of some kind of illness or ailment."
"You can watch him on screens, read and listen to his speeches," he said in comments released by the Russian foreign ministry.
"I leave it to the conscience of those who spread such rumours despite daily opportunities to assess how anyone is looking."
British intelligence sources were quoted telling media outlets that Mr Putin was seriously ill in the last week. However, rumours about the condition of the Russian leader, long known for his healthy lifestyle and love of sport, have surfaced periodically for years.
Asked about the human cost of the fighting, which has seen devastating artillery and rocket attacks on some urban areas, the foreign minister insisted Russian soldiers were "under strict orders categorically to avoid attacks and strikes on civilian infrastructure".
Since Russia invaded on 24 February, at least 4,031 civilians have been killed and 4,735 injured, according to the UN, and an unknown number of combatants have died or been wounded.
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