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.
A Japanese flag flies outside the Bank of Japan (BOJ) headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Shoko Takayasu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Japan will shoulder $3.3 billion of the loan pledged by the Group of Seven (G7) to Ukraine covered by Russian assets proceeds, Kyodo News reported on July 17, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The G7 pledged the $50-billion loan to Ukraine during a June summit in Italy to aid the country as it faces Russia's full-scale invasion. It should be repaid using revenue from the roughly $300 billion Russian assets frozen in the accounts of Western countries and other partners.
The sum, which Ukraine hopes to receive by the end of the year before a potential return of Donald Trump to the White House, includes a $20-billion pledge by the U.S. and the EU each, Kyodo News wrote.
Japan, Canada, and the U.K. are expected to cover the remaining $10 billion. Ottawa previously said it is ready to shoulder $5 billion of the loan.
Sources told Kyodo News that individual EU member states who also sit in the G7 – Italy, Germany, and France – will not participate in the lending program at the moment as they are focused on similar efforts within the EU framework.
This confirms the words of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said in June that individual EU countries would not be directly involved and would instead help develop a guarantee mechanism for repaying the loan.
Under a separate program, the EU said it would soon provide the first tranche of 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) from the frozen Russian assets profits to fund Ukraine's reconstruction and defense needs.
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.
Dominic Culverwell
