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.
The memoir of former Kyiv Independent war reporter Illia Ponomarenko on the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion is set to be released on May 7.
"I Will Show You How It Was," which is now available for pre-order, details Ponomarenko's on-the-ground perspective as Russian forces drew closer to Kyiv in February and March of 2022.
Ponomarenko worked with the Kyiv Independent before and immediately after the start of the all-out war, covering Ukraine's military and defense.
Reporting from the brink of Russian occupation, Ponomarenko's eyewitness account shows how Ukraine fought back against the odds while exposing Russia's hypocritical case for the war.
"At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the world thought that Ukraine would not be able to withstand the military power of Russia," writes Oleksandra Matviychuk, the human rights defender and the 2022 Noble Peace Prize laureate, about the book.
"But people decided to fight for their freedom. Nothing is predestined. It is the decisiveness to act that determines the society that has a future. And this is what this book is about," she adds.
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing and a co-produced by Ponomarenko and the Kyiv Independent, the book is set to provide a candid look into a capital at war.
"This eyewitness account of the battle for Kyiv explains not only how it happened but also why the Ukrainians fought and keep fighting today, once again against all the odds," writes historian Serhii Plokhy, director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, about the book.
Illia Ponomarenko
