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.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 11, 2023. (Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images)
NATO's transition to a longer-term commitment to support Ukraine could eventually push Moscow to a peace agreement once Russia realizes "that they cannot win the war," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 3 ahead of the NATO meeting in Brussels.
The allies reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering Ukraine's defense and pledged to continue to provide military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv this year after the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in early 2024.
The general secretary said that the allies are now discussing ways to institutionalize support within the NATO framework to make it "more predictable and more powerful."
The allies believe that support for Ukraine should be less dependent on short-term voluntary offers and more dependent on long-term NATO commitments, Stoltenberg added. He said that such support for Ukraine "will also send a message to Moscow that they cannot wait those out."
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"The reality is that if you want this war to end, the sooner you can convince Moscow they will not win on the battlefield... the sooner we can then be able to reach a peace agreement where Russia realized that they cannot win the war, but have to sit down and negotiate an agreement where Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation," Stoltenberg added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that NATO's July summit in Washington can be "highly focused" on the creation of a roadmap for Ukraine to join the alliance in the future.
Kyiv did not receive the much-desired invitation nor a firm deadline to join the alliance during the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, even though NATO took steps to tighten cooperation.
Ukrainian officials have voiced hope that the Washington meeting, scheduled for July 9-11, will bring a more definite signal.
Asami Terajima
