seaborne russian oil are significant. they underline the european chief said they will cut 90% of europe s russian oil imports by december. the discussion of some interim status for ukraine on the way to being a full member of the european union is important. i wish they would find some speedy transition plan but it is not there. so, they re trying to find ways to keep faith with ukraine and in a period where i think the pressure on ukraine is growing. i think your right to express some concern about europe. they ve got their own economic troubles and political splits. but this last weekend that they held together more strongly than i might have feared. i was going to say, pretty remarkable that they held together even pulled hungary along when they had to know this inflation number was coming out. they have the same problem on the other side with nato. but do you remain optimistic like so many observers that when it comes to nato, turkey, at the end, will back down and a
president in american history, unfortunately. so much of it is much of it is preventable. and the devastation is amazing. that was in a meeting with the new zealand prime minister. the united states has its first confirmed ambassador to ukraine in kyiv in three years. she arrives at a critical moment with president zelenskyy saying that russia achieved, quote, maximum combat power in the eastern donbas region. president biden has reaffirmed his support for federal reserve independence in fighting inflation in advance of a meeting today with fed chairman powell as the national frustration with rising inflation becomes a midterm threat for democrats. we begin in uvalde, texas, with nbc s sam brock, and tom winter and former u.s. attorney joyce vance. sam, while federal investigators are looking into the police response to this mass shooting, we are hearing stories about the day as the community attends services for loved ones. tell us what s going on down there. this is a
reporter: for the first time in the war, russia seems to be winning. at least out in the east. here, russia s slow brutal artillery and rocket assaults are clawing away land from ukraine. russian troops now threaten to encircle ukraine s eastern cultural heartland known as the don bass. a village sited in russian cross-hairs. it is frequently hit by russian artillery and the fire is getting closer. the village has been without running water and power for weeks and half of the residents have left. the mayor does what he can to distribute food. they re trying to squeeze us out, but i m confident our soldiers will keep us safe, he said. twice a week, there is enough fuel to run a generator for two hours so people could charge phones.
statement saying, while we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury s decision and thank them for their service. i want to thank the investigators for their efforts in seeking truth and justice in this case. turning overseas, european leaders voting to drastically reduce russian oil imports. cutting them off by nearly 90% by the end of the year. potentially, the biggest sanction against russia s economy so far. russian forces are making significant advanced in eastern ukraine. richard engel is on the front line. reporter: for the first time in the war, russia seems to be winning, at least out in the east. here, russia s slow, brutal artillery and rocket assaults are clawing away land from ukraine. russian troops now threaten to encircle ukraine s eastern agriculture and coal mining
don t. let s talk about what s happening in the suburbs around kyiv. they re incredibly dangerous right now as russian forces attempt to encircle ukraine s capital. what do you know about that, michael? reporter: yeah, there s been a lot of fighting, don in recent days on the outskirts of the capital. it s been pretty active in the north and northwest of the city. it would appear russian troops are making a push slowly for the east of the city. you know, i know you ve mentioned that column 40 miles, 65 kilometers long. that seems to have dispersed. it s difficult to tell when they re gone. they ve probably taken cover and made some sort of movements to spread out a bit and make their incremental moves. kyiv is still bracing for being encircled and perhaps cut off, you know, the mayor said that and many russians have also been saying that many ukrainians rather have been saying that the russians likely want to encircle the city, cut it off, overthrow