The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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Friday, May 9
(Updated: )
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.
(Updated: )Victory Day
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
Germany’s largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall said the first batch of ammunition for Gepard anti-aircraft systems would arrive in Ukraine by July, CEO Armin Papperger said on Feb. 20, CNN reported.
Earlier this month, Germany signed contracts with Rheinmetall to renew the manufacture of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, which it began supplying to Ukraine last summer.
Papperger told journalists after a visit with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to a weapons manufacturing site in Unterluess, in western Germany, that his company had “doubled capacities, in some sectors even tripled them."
“In weapons production, the warehouse is full, we are running at full steam here, and we can still increase capacity with one shift," if contracts were made, the CEO said.
Papperger also said that twenty Marder fighting vehicles would be ready to deliver to Ukraine by the end of March.
For his part, Defense Minister Pistorius said that the German government was delivering what Germany had and would deliver what could be produced in the next months but that the production of modern battle tanks can take "about two to two and a half years" from the time it is ordered.
Pistorius also on Feb. 20 visited Ukrainian servicepeople in Munster, Germany currently learning to operate Leopard tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
According to the German Federal Government, by mid-February, Berlin had already supplied 32 Gepard guns to Ukraine, including about 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
Gepard guns have been an effective defense against Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones Russia has used to attack Ukraine's infrastructure, German Embassy in Ukraine said last November.
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