Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, as the Second World War is called in Moscow, dawned in Kiev with curious news: the Ukrainian security service has uncovered a Hungarian espionage network operating in Transcarpathia, in the west of the country. Hungarian military intelligence agents were caught gathering information about local defenses and public opinion in case of a military deployment. Two suspects, former military personnel, face life imprisonment for treason. Ukrainian authorities have long suspected the government of Viktor Orban, an ally of Moscow, but such espionage practices were unprecedented until now.
Frenetic visit to the 'thunder' of Donbass, the US cannon that stops the Russians in Ukraine
While Vladimir Putin and around twenty foreign leaders, including Chinese Xi Jinping and Brazilian Lula, attended the military parade in Red Square in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and several European Foreign Ministers, including the Spanish José Manuel Albares, visit Lviv, where they will announce a ¤1 billion aid package for Ukraine's defense industry and give final political approval for the establishment of a tribunal to judge Russian war crimes.
"It is a decisive moment for justice, international law, and the future of Ukraine. Together, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to accountability for the crime of aggression and for the atrocities committed on Ukrainian soil," said EU Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath, who announced the creation "of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, we are laying the foundations for justice and reaffirming the strong commitment that the rules-based multilateral order prevail over aggression, authoritarianism, and impunity."
Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas celebrated Europe Day in the city of Lviv, where they honored the fallen Ukrainians in the war with a floral tribute. "Today, we celebrate Europe Day with Ukraine and its people. Because in a family, both joys and difficulties are shared," wrote Kallas. "Together with the Foreign Ministers, we stand united with Ukraine for a just peace. For the future we believe in," she commented.
All of this happened just hours after the Ukrainian Rada ratified the mineral treaty with the US with all votes in favor. Donald Trump had a call with Zelensky that the Ukrainian president himself later explained, in a tone very different from the argument in the Oval Office: "Ukraine is willing to negotiate under any format," but for that "it is necessary for Russia to show that it really wants to end the war." Zelensky once again accepted a 30-day ceasefire starting tomorrow that everyone already assumes Putin will not accept.