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.
Russian soldiers patrol a street in occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on May 1, 2022. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Getty Images)
"Many" Russian soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk Oblast after the incursion of Ukrainian forces, Ukraine's state project "Khochu nayti" ("I want to find") said on Aug. 7.
Among the captives are both conscripts and contract soldiers, according to "Khochu nayti," the project launched in January 2024 by Ukraine's military intelligence for relatives of the Russian military captured in Ukraine.
"There is also information about the dead whose bodies were not taken away by their comrades-in-arms during the retreat," the statement read.
The project published drone footage of what it presented as 32 captured Russian soldiers, adding that eight more did not fit into the frame. The Telegram post did not specify whether this was the overall number of Russian troops captured so far.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the claims.
Purported footage of Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine during battles in Kursk Oblast in August 2024. (Khochu nayti/Telegram)
Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil that were described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a large-scale provocation."
Kyiv has largely refused to comment on the operation in Kursk Oblast, which takes place just as Russia is ramping up attacks in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.
On Aug. 7, an emergency state was declared in Kursk Oblast, according to the acting governor of the region, Alexei Smirnov.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reported to Putin that the Ukrainian military's advance deep into Kursk Oblast had been stopped.
In turn, Russian Telegram channels claimed that fighting had already begun in Sudzha, a town of around 5,000 people located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.
The Russian region has a population of around 1 million people, 440,000 of whom live in the city of Kursk, the region's administrative center.
Francis Farrell
