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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky talking to journalists during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2025. (Olena Zashko/The Kyiv Independent)
Intelligence reports indicate that there is a "high risk" Russia is preparing troops for a possible invasion of NATO member states, President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News in an interview published Feb. 16.
Zelensky spoke to NBC on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, where he is leading a Ukrainian delegation in talks with European and U.S. leaders on the current state of the war as it approaches its third-year anniversary.
Russia is training 150,000 troops in Belarus for a large-scale operation that could happen as early as this summer, Zelensky said. The preparations could signal a plan to invade a NATO country.
"There are risks that this can be Poland and Lithuania, because we believe that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will wage war against NATO," he said.
Ukraine has "intelligence" and "documents" regarding Russia's troop buildup in Belarus, but does not exactly know what Putin is planning to do, according to Zelensky. The president said Ukraine had shared these intelligence reports with allies.
Russia is "waiting for a weakening of NATO," Zelensky warned. He also said he believes Putin only wants a ceasefire in order to prepare greater numbers of troops for more ambitious future military actions.
"He is thinking not only about Ukraine," Zelensky said.
There is a "high risk" that Russia will set its sights on other countries, particularly those near Ukraine that are now NATO member states, he said.
At the outset of the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky said that Russia was training large numbers of soldiers in Belarus for a major military escalation. In his comments to NBC, he said that the move echoed the military exercises Russia staged ahead of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Two days before the conference began, a declassified Danish intelligence report warned that Russia may find the opportunity to launch a large-scale war on Europe within five years, if Moscow "perceives NATO as militarily weakened or politically divided."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that such an attack would be "devastating" for Moscow.
"If Putin attacks NATO, the reaction will be devastating. He will lose," Rutte said.
The warnings come amid a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Europe, NATO, and Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump has been critical of the alliance, sparking outrage last year when he said he would let Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members failing to meet defense spending criteria.
Trump has also arranged to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia for bilateral talks without representation from Ukraine or Europe. Ahead of any ceasefire negotiations with Russia, Trump has already signaled that he believes NATO membership for Ukraine is not "practical."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Asami Terajima
