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.
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.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin speaks at a rally celebrating the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts on Sept. 30, 2022, in Moscow. Proxy official Volodymyr Saldo stands to his immediate right. (Photo: Contributor/Getty Images)
A U.K. business was allegedly registered to Russian proxy official Volodymyr Saldo five months after his name was added to a sanctions list, the Guardian reported on April 27.
Saldo has been working on behalf of Russia in occupied Kherson Oblast, where he became the head of the regional occupation administration. He has also met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and received Russian state honors.
Russia's all-out war in Ukraine has been going on for more than one year, yet "proposals that would make it a crime for people under sanctions to set up U.K. companies have yet to become law," according to the Guardian.
Saldo's assets in the U.K. were frozen in June 2022 and he is banned from entering the country. British officials have said he is guilty of "promoting policies and actions which destabilize Ukraine and undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine."
Despite this, the Guardian wrote that they found a company of which Saldo has been listed as the proprietor since November registered in an office block in the Hatton Garden district of central London. A representative of the property then told the Guardian that the company has no connection with the property and only five months later was the address altered in a public filing.
However, the company, Grainholding Ltd., is apparently still listed as an active company, according to the Guardian.
Company documents show that Grainholding Ltd. holds over $1.2 million in capital, half of which is allegedly owned by Saldo.
According to Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Saldo was sanctioned not only by the U.K. but Ukraine, the U.S., the European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, and New Zealand after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
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Iryna Matviyishyn
