Europe pushed to toughen its response Monday to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, with Sweden joining Finland in deciding to seek NATO membership and European Union officials working to rescue proposed sanctions on Russian oil.
Ukrainian troops repulsed Russia's attempted advances and even rolled back the front lines in places. In recent days, Moscow's forces pulled back from around the northeastern city of Kharkiv after weeks of bombardment.
Ukrainian border guards said they defeated a Russian attempt to send sabotage and reconnaissance troops into the Sumy region, some 90 miles northwest of Kharkiv. As fighting raged in eastern Ukraine, the international response to Russia picked up pace. Sweden announced it will seek NATO membership, following a similar decision from its neighbor Finland. That would be a historic shift on the European continent for the two countries, nonaligned for generations.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said joining the 30-member military alliance is her country's best defense in the face of Russian behavior. But a proposed EU embargo faces opposition from a small group of countries dependent on Russian imports, including Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Bulgaria also has reservations.
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