Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
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.
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 shaking hands with the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed at the airport in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Andrei Gordeyev/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Western sanctions against Russia have not impacted trade outside of the West, said Hamad Buamim, chair of the Dubai Multi Commodities Center, in comments to the Financial Times published on May 29.
Despite more than a dozen rounds of EU sanctions against Russia and associated measures from the U.S. and other Western partners, Russia's economy has remained resilient. While Russia's business ties with the West have shrunk, other countries outside of Europe have increasingly taken advantage of the opportunities.
Throughout Russia's full-scale war, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has maintained economic and cultural ties with Russia but has also signed new trade agreements with Ukraine.
"Sanctions slow the economy, (they) never stop it," said Buamim. "Trade continues flowing, it just flows in a different way."
Even as the West has pressured the UAE to crack down against sanctions evasion and to take measures against companies that continue to trade with Russia, Dubai has emerged as one of the main beneficiaries of Russia's reoriented economic relations.
"The fact that the economy is not purely controlled by one side of the world makes these sanctions less effective," Baumim said.
"If we just take the Ukraine conflict, (sanctions) are effective when you look west, but they are not really effective beyond that."
Many companies have relocated to Dubai in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Baumim said the shift was often not limited to Russian companies.
"(Companies from other countries) see that Dubai has the infrastructure, the market access, and the neutral stance (on the war in Ukraine)," Baumim said.
International companies with Russian staff that have had to leave Russia have also found Dubai to be a place where their Russian employees would be welcome, he added.
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.
Igor Kossov
