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.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
National Security and Defense Secretary Oleksii Danilov speaks during a meeting after Russia's decision to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent states, on Feb. 22, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said on Aug. 10 that no person in Ukraine has been officially included in Ukraine's national register of oligarchs yet, citing the issue of measuring assets during wartime.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law in 2021 that established the legal definition of an oligarch, in order to list these individuals and limit their influence.
If named in the register, the person is banned from financing political parties and other political activities, and excluded from the privatization of the state's assets.
The law defines an oligarch as having significant influence on media, participates in politics, owns monopolies, and is worth more than Hr 2.27 billion ($61.8 million).
However, due to the war, Danilov said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda that it is "very difficult to understand what happened to certain assets located in the occupied territories," or what will happen to certain assets that are attacked by Russia.
In June 2023, the Venice Commission, an advisory body to the Council of Europe, presented similar reasons as to why it recommended that Ukraine postpones the implementation of the law until the war ends.
The Russian invasion presents a challenge to assessing the impact of the law on the political and legal system and the commission recognized the destruction of many enterprises had already reduced the influence of oligarchs in Ukraine.
Oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, for example, had to give up his media empire and lost half his assets amid the Russian full-scale invasion. His losses included the Mariupol-based Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest in Europe.
In response to the commission's advice, Danilov told Ukrainska Pravda that the law was "a matter of national concern" for Ukraine.
Danilov had previously said in July 2022 that 86 people fall under the criteria, though he did not reveal their names.
After reports that Zelensky stripped oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky of his Ukrainian citizenship, Danilov added that a foreigner can still be recognized as a oligarch as long as he or she falls under at least three out of four criteria specified in the law.
The European Commission previously presented the implementation of the law as a condition for Ukraine to join the EU.
Alexander Query
