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.
Ukraine will soon step up its production of shells by involving private companies in the process, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov said on Oct. 26.
"They (the companies) have ordered the appropriate equipment, some equipment is already being installed in closed areas of enterprises, and we will see an increase in our own production in the near future," Danilov said on national television.
The official emphasized that not only Ukraine but its allies, as well as Russia, were suffering from ammunition shortages.
"Our partners, the entire civilized world, began to develop additional (production) capacities right from the beginning of this aggression, from April-May 2022. This is not an easy task, they cannot be built in a month or two," he said.
Nate Ostiller
According to Danilov, it's challenging to determine the exact amount of shells needed for the Ukrainian army as "there has not been a war of such intensity since WWII."
His statement comes a day after unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the European Union was falling short of its target of providing Ukraine with one million rounds of artillery shells by March.
The EU pledged in May to deliver one million shells per year to Ukraine, partially by digging deep into its existing stockpiles but also by increasing domestic production capacity.
However, now that six months have passed, only 30% of the promised shells have been delivered, the sources said. At this slowed rate, the EU risks failing to meet its target.
Francis Farrell
