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 President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting of Russia's Security Council at Kremlin in Moscow on Feb. 21, 2022. (Kremlin Press Office via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the rightful borders of the illegitimate Russia-backed "states" in eastern Ukraine extend to the whole region of the Donbas, which is considerably bigger than the currently occupied areas.
The announcement further escalates the tension that spiked after Russia officially recognized the two proxies late on Feb. 21.
The Russian-controlled militants control a portion of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, separated from the Ukrainian forces that hold the rest by a 420-kilometer contact line.
As Russia vowed to help the "independent states" militarily, this raises the strong possibility of military confrontation with Ukrainian forces that will defend their territory.
Putin said that the borders of the two pseudo-states are right in their constitutions, which declare that each controls the entire Ukrainian region. Putin said that all disputes would be settled during their talks with Kyiv.
Kyiv has refused to talk to the militants occupying eastern Ukraine, insisting that they are not a separate entity but are controlled by Russia.
Leaders of both Kremlin-backed groups have insisted that they have a claim to the entire region in which they are located.
Earlier, Russia was vague on where the borders would be drawn. Russian TV channel Rossiya 24 quoted international committee chair Andrei Klimov as saying that the new “states” would encompass “territories… within the borders that are established today.”
However, Leonid Kalashnikov, head of the committee on Commonwealth of Independent States affairs said that the borders would be defined by the illegitimate referendums that were staged in the occupied areas in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not clarify further.
Colonel (retired) Viktor Kevlyuk from the Center for Defense Strategies says that Putin’s cooperation decrees with the militant “republics” do not contain anything about the size of the territories recognized independent by him, which leaves room for maneuver.
Igor is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously covered conflict in the Middle East, investigated corruption in Ukraine and man-made environmental damage in Southeast Asia. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and was published in the Kyiv Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, Daily Beast and Foreign Policy.
