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.
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 dictator Vladimir Putin speaks at the plenary session during the annual St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF) in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 17, 2022. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
In a 73-minute speech on June 17 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin lashed out at the U.S. for trying to “cancel” Russia, claiming it is a "fading world power" doomed to meet its imminent demise because of its “unipolar” policy.
The speech was delayed by more than 90 minutes following what Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described as a “large-scale” distributed denial-of-service cyberattack. It was not clear who was behind the attack. A hacker collective called the Ukrainian IT Army named the annual event in the western Russian city as a target earlier this week, according to CNN.
Attendees included representatives of the Taliban and Russian proxies from occupied parts of Donbas in eastern Ukraine as well as Russia’s political and business elite, multiple media outlets reported.
During the speech, Putin also tried to pin the blame for the sharp rise in food prices on the “U.S. administration and Europe’s bureaucracy” despite blocking Ukraine’s ports used to ship grain and other commodities. Ukraine is a major food producer and a substantial amount of grain is being held hostage with its major ports either blocked by Moscow’s warships or under Russia’s control.
Despite Russia weaponizing food in its war against Ukraine, Putin once again shifted the blame for the looming food crisis onto the West by accusing them of “snapping up” supplies.
After having spent his more than hour-long remarks barely touching on the war in Ukraine, Putin ended his speech to reassure his country that the economy will flourish despite Western sanctions that he called “reckless and insane.”
The Kremlin leader also said the EU had imposed sanctions against Russia on Washington's orders despite the damage to its own economy, alleging that “the European Union has completely lost its political sovereignty.”
Contrary to Putin’s claims, sanctions are squeezing Russia’s economy with its industrial production dropping and retail sales suffering their worst crash since the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia has become the world’s most sanctioned country after launching a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Putin, who has long framed Moscow’s war on Ukraine as a response to Kyiv’s growing diplomatic and security ties with the West, asserted that “we are normalizing the economic situation” even as world leaders show their readiness to impose further sanctions.
More than 100 days after Putin defied Western warnings and openly sent troops into Ukraine, fierce fighting continues in Ukraine with the most intense battle taking place in the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk where both sides are suffering huge casualties.
As tensions continue to soar, Western nations have sought to isolate Russia for its invasion of Ukraine while providing arms, intelligence, military training and financial support to the war-torn country.
More top-level European diplomats have also begun officially recommending Ukraine to become an official candidate for the bloc’s membership, which Putin said wasn’t a concern for Russia since “the EU is not a military organization.”
In response to the international community worried over Russia's possible use of nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine, Putin claimed that his country isn't threatening the world with nuclear attacks.
But Putin also warned that nuclear weapons could be used in case of a threat to its own sovereignty.
Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
