Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
An undated photo of Ihar Lednik, a Belarusian political prisoner who reportedly died behind bars, his former colleagues reported on Feb. 20, 2024. (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya/Facebook)
Ihar Lednik, a member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (BSDP), reportedly died in prison, BSDP announced on Telegram on Feb. 20.
Repressions against opposition figures and dissenters escalated in Belarus following the 2020 presidential election, in which Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko certified his hold on power through electoral fraud and a violent crackdown.
According to the Viasna human rights group, Lednik is the fifth political prisoner to die behind bars in the last two years.
Lednik was sentenced to three years in prison in 2022 for allegedly "slandering" Lukashenko. His health subsequently declined in prison. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Belarusian service, the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
His former colleagues said Lednik was an outspoken opponent of the so-called union state between Belarus and Russia and Lukashenko's authoritarian regime.
Lednik also served as the co-chairman of the Belarusian Committee of Solidarity with Ukraine.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on Lednik's death, saying, "It is an incredible injustice and tragedy that the regime is killing Belarusians in prison who wanted to change the life of their country for the better."
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Kate Tsurkan
