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.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Nov. 22, 2023. (Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin "cannot be satisfied with a limited territorial victory" and "has decided to continue the war until the final victory," the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in an interview with the Guardian on Dec. 24.
"He will not give up the war, especially not before the American election, which may present him with a much more favorable scenario," Borrell said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference on Dec. 19 that the result of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could "very strongly" influence the course of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Donald Trump, the former U.S. president and the Republican Party's leading candidate, has repeatedly criticized the level of aid U.S. President Joe Biden's administration provides to Kyiv.
"We must prepare for a conflict of high intensity for a long time," Borrell told the Guardian.
"Putin cannot be satisfied with a piece of Ukraine and to let the rest of Ukraine belong to the European Union."
According to Borrell, Russia continues to pose a threat to its neighbors because it has always been an empire and has "never been able to become a nation."
Putin "was wrong about the capacity of his army," and misjudged how Ukraine would resist, and about the strength of the EU and the transatlantic alliance, Borrell believes.
"But he is still there," Borrell noted. "He is still willing to fight, to let his people die, so that his army and his people suffer, because he has no reverse."
The U.K. Defense Ministry estimated that as of December 2023, 320,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Dec. 1 to increase the size of Russia's army by 170,000 people, bringing it to a new total of 1,320,000 military personnel.
Andreas Umland
