"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks during a session held as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 6, 2024. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Budapest and Russia's state-owned gas company Gazprom are in talks on additional purchases next year, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with Kremlin-run RIA Novosti published on Oct. 15.
The move would likely increase Hungary's reliance on Russian gas despite the EU's efforts to wean itself off Russian supplies.
"Basically, we will increase the volumes. We have already signed one (agreement) for the last quarter of this year, which covers additional (gas) volumes at a price that ensures competitive prices," Szijjarto said.
"We are currently negotiating a deal for next year." This agreement will include greater volumes thanks to the capacity of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, running from Russia to Europe through the Black Sea, the minister noted.
Budapest is broadly seen as the most Moscow-friendly country within the EU and NATO, repeatedly obstructing aid to Kyiv and sanctions against Russia. Szijjarto has also repeatedly visited Russia throughout the full-scale war, a step that his European colleagues avoided.
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Hungary receives roughly 4.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas on an annual basis under a 15-year deal signed in 2021. Gazprom and Hungary's MVM energy company signed a memorandum of understanding on increasing gas supplies at a forum in St. Petersburg on Oct. 10.
Budapest is also a major buyer of Russian oil, and one of the few countries in the EU granted an exemption to continue buying pipeline oil via the Druzhba pipeline.
According to Szijjarto's comments from June, Russian fossil fuel supplies cover roughly 70-80% of Hungary's yearly demand.
While the EU has reduced dependency on Russian gas, some of it keeps flowing to Europe through pipelines and as LNG, with the sales profits feeding Russia's war against Ukraine.
Kyiv has said it will not extend the deal allowing the gas transit to the EU through its territory past its December 2024 expiration date. Europe and Ukraine are in talks with Azerbaijan about alternative gas supplies.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
