On 24 May, the European Council adopted a regulation allowing for temporary (one-year) trade liberalization and other trade concessions with regard to certain Ukrainian products. The regulation suspended all remaining tariffs under Title IV of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine; anti-dumping duties on imports originating in Ukraine; and common rules for imports with respect of imports originating in Ukraine. At the same time, the EU Ministers of Agriculture adopted an action plan for EU-Ukraine solidarity lanes, intended to help circumvent the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. 

On 25 May, the European Council adopted new regulations allowing Eurojust to store and secure evidence relating to war crimes, including satellite images, photographs, video and audio recordings, DNA profiles, and fingerprints; to process and analyse this evidence, in close cooperation with Europol, and to make it available to relevant national and international judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Court. The European Council confirmed that there were reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity and war crimes were being committed in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s aggression.

On 28 May, the Russians entered Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region, starting intense street battles. Simultaneously, Russia began preparations for assault operations towards Bakhmut. On the last day of May, Russian efforts were focused on advancing towards Sloviansk. 

At the beginning of June, the Russians continued to shell Ukrainian positions in Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, as well as civilian facilities, from the direction of Izium. Ukrainian services reported Russian preparations for an attack in the Sloviansk region. 

On 3 June, the European Council adopted its 6th package of sanctions in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Belarus’s support for that aggression, and reports of atrocities committed by Russian armed forces.

The package included a ban on imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia (with exceptions); excluding three more Russian banks and one Belarusian bank from the SWIFT system; and suspending the broadcasting activities in the EU of three more Russian state-owned outlets.

The European Union also imposed sanctions on another 65 individuals and 18 entities. Among them were those responsible for the “atrocities” (as the message read) committed in Bucha and Mariupol.

On 4 June, Ukrainian authorities reported intense fighting in Donbas, with the fiercest battles centred around Sievierodonetsk, Bakhmut, and Sloviansk. Russian artillery also targeted Ukrainian positions in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions.

In the following days, Russians forces continued their attacks on Sievierodonetsk and intensified their offensive south of Izium. 

On 9 June, the European Council emphasized the need to protect children affected by armed conflicts and their aftermath, in particular the need to protect them from recruitment by armed forces, human trafficking, illegal adoption, sexual exploitation, and separation from their families.

On 11 June, the Ukrainian side informed that Russia had launched a campaign forcing Ukrainians to take Russian passports in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.