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.
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.
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."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
Russia was aware of preparations for a terrorist attack on its soil at least since Feb. 15, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on March 27.
Several gunmen opened fire at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow's suburb, on the evening of March 22, killing at least 139 people. A branch of the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack shortly thereafter.
Russia's security services detained 11 people in connection with the attack on March 23 and another three people on March 25. Russian top officials sought to connect the attack to Ukraine without providing any evidence. The White House said there was no indication that Ukraine was behind the shooting.
According to Budanov, Russia knew from where the attackers would come and through which two countries they would enter Russian territory.
"Don't let them tell you stories that this (attack) appeared out of nowhere," the intelligence chief commented.
Speaking at the third annual Kyiv Stratcom Forum 2024 in Kyiv, Budanov said that one possible explanation for why Russian authorities allowed the attack to happen was an internal power struggle aimed at removing some high-ranking officials from their posts.
"Another option is that they actually underestimated the scale of what would happen. They thought that it would be more local, and they wanted to blame Ukraine for everything," Budanov said.
The intelligence chief denounced the Kremlin's attempts at laying the blame for the attack on Kyiv as "nonsense," noting that Russian officials had changed their versions already three times to create some kind of connection to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's attempts to lay the blame on Ukraine "utterly predictable," adding that :(Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his thugs are just trying to blame somebody else... It has happened before."
Katie Marie Davies
