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.
Hungary vows to block potential EU sanctions on Georgia over protest crackdowns

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has pledged to veto a proposal to impose EU sanctions on Georgian officials, for their crackdown on anti-government protests, the First Channel of Georgia reported on Dec. 10.
Speaking alongside Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili, Szijjarto criticized the EU and the “international liberal elite” and claimed that he is “categorically against” any sanctions towards Georgia.
"If the opposition had won the elections, Brussels would have been shouting loudly about democracy in Georgia. They would have said that democracy in Georgia has never been so strong, but the conservative party won the elections, and they are doing everything to deny and ignore the will of the citizens," Szijjarto said.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council is set to discuss the situation on December 16, with a possibility of potential sanction introductions.
Tbilisi's ties with multiple European countries have steadily deteriorated since the pro-Russian Georgian Dream adopted a controversial "foreign agents" law in May. Tensions only mounted after Georgian Dream declared victory in the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections despite widespread accusations of a rigged vote.
The latest wave of protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party broke out two weeks ago, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of the South Caucasus' EU accession process until at least 2028.
Over 220 people have been arrested during the ensuing crackdown, with dozens reported injured as the Georgian police deployed tear gas and water cannons.
Budapest is broadly seen as the most Moscow-friendly country within the EU and NATO, repeatedly obstructing aid to Kyiv and sanctions against Russia. Szijjarto has also repeatedly visited Russia throughout the full-scale war, a step that his European colleagues avoided.

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