The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
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.
Kurt Volker said that now "there is more alignment" between Ukraine and the U.S. under the Trump Administration than at the beginning of 2025.
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.
Study: Aid for Ukraine drops to lowest level since January 2022
Between August and October, the amount of newly committed aid to Ukraine decreased by 87% compared to the same period last year, according to a new study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
The value of aid packages announced throughout these months totaled 2.11 billion euros (around $2.2 billion), the lowest level since January 2022, the study results showed.
The report was published on Dec. 7 amid increasing uncertainty over the U.S.'s further assistance to Ukraine and delays in the European Union's approval of a $50 billion package for Kyiv, opposed by Hungary and Slovakia.
Of the 42 donors tracked by the IfW Kiel, only 20 have pledged new aid packages to Ukraine over the last three months, which the institute called the smallest share of active donors since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Nate Ostiller
The U.S. remains Ukraine's largest military contributor, with a total volume reaching over $47 billion, the IfW Kiel wrote. However, Germany is reportedly catching up fast, having committed around $18 billion in military aid for Ukraine.
When focusing on committed military aid, the European Union countries continue to catch up, and now have collectively surpassed the U.S.
Of the total $26.9 billion pledged for heavy weapons from January 2022 to October 2023, the U.S. accounts for 43%, while all EU countries and institutions combined account for 47%, according to the IfW Kiel.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a supplemental funding bill that combined $61 billion in aid for Ukraine with assistance for Israel and Taiwan in a procedural vote held on Dec. 6.
Earlier the same day, the U.S. announced a $175 million defense aid package for Ukraine from previously directed drawdowns, in what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said would be one of the last military aid packages to Ukraine if Congress fails to pass additional funding.
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