Europe

With Orban out, Slovakia's Fico shifts tone on Ukraine
Europe

With Orban out, Slovakia's Fico shifts tone on Ukraine

by Martin Fornusek

Viktor Orban's electoral defeat appears to be easing Ukraine's relations with not one, but two of its neighbors. President Volodymyr Zelensky met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Yerevan on May 4, continuing an unexpectedly constructive exchange between the two leaders. Zelensky and Fico agreed their governments would hold talks in Kyiv or Bratislava by the end of June to develop cooperation in transport infrastructure and energy, according to the Slovak government. "We are neighbors, we

News Feed

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine condemns 'alarming' situation in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast

Key developments on May 7: * Ukraine condemns 'alarming situation' in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, civilians trapped in urgent need of aid * Ukraine to respond to Russia's ceasefire violations with 'long-range sanctions,' Zelensky says * 'Emergency situation' — Ukrainian firefighters unable to extinguish massive forest fire due to Russian FPV drone threat * Latvia says drones entered airspace from Russia, 1 may have crashed near oil facility Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued

Why Moscow is afraid this Victory Day

On May 9, Moscow will stage its annual Victory Day parade marking the end of World War II in Europe — but this year, the spectacle is notable not for its grandeur, but for what's missing. For the first time in Vladimir Putin's Russia, no missiles, tanks, or armored vehicles are expected to appear in Saturday's Red Square parade. Although the Kremlin offered no explanation for the dramatic scale-back, recent Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russian territory have suggested that even Putin's militar

A man in a military uniform checks his mobile phone on a street in Moscow, Russia, on May 6, 2026.
News Feed