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 President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak attends a joint briefing with co-head of the Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions, Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Michael McFaul in Kyiv on Sept. 8, 2023. (Kaniuka Ruslan / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
"The USA and the EU are working on legal procedures to transfer $300 billion of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine," President's Office head Andriy Yermak said on Oct. 5.
The U.S. government and other Group of 7 (G7) countries froze over $300 billion in assets from the Russian Central Bank stored abroad at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Yermak added that the West's focus on the legal procedures needed to transfer these assets to Ukraine is "a very positive signal" and a "matter of justice."
"Those who kill, destroy, violate international law and the UN Charter must face consequences," he wrote.
The topic of what to do with Russian assets frozen in western countries, and whether to send them to Ukraine to help fund the country's recovery, has been an ongoing discussion.
On Sept. 6, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken announced during a visit to Kyiv that the U.S. plans to fund support for Ukrainian military veterans from "assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs" for the first time.
Those who "enabled Putin's war of aggression should pay for it," Blinken said.
In August, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine is looking for ways to use frozen Russian assets to pay for the reconstruction of Crimea in particular.
Ukraine wants to create an international mechanism through which the aggressor would be mandated to pay for all the damages it has caused, Shmyhal added.
Anna Myroniuk
