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 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.
Gas pipes and compressor machinery at the Dashava underground gas storage facility in Lviv Oblast. (Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The CEO of Ukraine's national energy company has urged EU nations to assist in safeguarding its natural gas storage facilities against recent Russian attacks so they can keep contributing to lower prices across the continent.
"It is of interest of the EU to protect storage, transportation and production [facilities], given that Ukraine’s gas infrastructure is 'well integrated' into Europe’s energy system," Naftogaz Group CEO Oleksii Chernyshov said, according to the Financial Times (FT).
Gas storage sites in western Ukraine have faced multiple attacks in recent months, with only above-ground facilities sustaining damage, Naftogaz said. However, the underground storage tanks, some as deep as three kilometers beneath the surface, have remained unaffected.
"Technologically, we’re all fit, and we have managed to repair the [damaged surface] equipment and we fulfill our obligations [to our customers]" after the attacks, Chernyshov said.
Three attacks on gas storage facilities have been disclosed since March, marking the initial documented cases of the Kremlin targeting these locations.
Ukrainian gas storage proved pivotal in bolstering the EU's energy security last year, offering European nations an alternative to depleting their reserves. Despite the risks posed by Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's storage facilities emerged as a viable option, thanks partly to incentives such as economical storage tariffs and customs duty exemptions facilitating easy gas reimportation to the EU.
According to Chernyshov, European stakeholders remain interested in utilizing the storage facilities this year. The company aims to increase the volume of European natural gas stored in Ukraine from 2.5 billion cubic meters last year to four billion this winter.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Dominic Culverwell
