Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
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.
A picture showing Naftogaz workers leaving the Bobrovnytska gas-compressor and gas-holder station in Mryn, Chernihiv Oblast, about 130 kilometers from Kyiv on Dec. 16, 2008. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on March 26 approved a loan of 270 million euros ($290 million) for Ukraine's Naftogaz company to purchase gas for the next two winters, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Norway is also allocating 140 million euros ($150 million) in grants through the EBRD, the prime minister added.
The news comes as Ukraine and Russia agreed to halt strikes against energy facilities as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Both sides have accused one another of violating the truce.
"This resource will help us accumulate gas reserves in underground storage facilities for the next winter," Shmyhal said.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's gas infrastructure during the full-scale war, periodically pushing down the country's production by as much as 40% and forcing Kyiv to buy gas abroad.
Russian drones and missiles have also targeted Ukraine's gas storage facilities in western Ukraine.
In February, Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said Russian strikes had severely impacted Ukraine's domestic gas production capacity and that the country would need to import an estimated 1 billion cubic meters of gas by the end of the year.
The EBRD, a London-based developmental investment bank, is Ukraine's largest institutional investor. It has invested more than 6.2 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in the country since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 and plans to raise this figure by $1.56 billion this year.
Kateryna Denisova
