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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
This is the fourth such tranche from the bloc, which is secured by proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
At least 19 children were killed and 78 injured in April, the highest verified monthly number of child casualties since June 2022.
The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
IMF approves $880 million loan payment for Ukraine
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a third review of Ukraine's $15.6 billion loan program. This decision enables the release of $880 million designated for budget support, bringing the total disbursements to $5.4 billion, the IMF announced on March 21.
The international lender emphasized that Ukraine continues to face exceptionally high risks, mainly due to uncertainties related to the ongoing war with Russia and the outlook for external financial support. However, Ukraine mission chief Gavin Gray said that the IMF anticipates the war in Ukraine to de-escalate by the end of 2024, according to Reuters.
Gray said that Ukraine has maintained a robust performance on the IMF program throughout its initial year, meeting all but one of the quantitative performance criteria. The single discrepancy pertained to tax revenues, which was of minor significance.
Ukraine is expected to receive the funds in the coming days, according to Gray.
Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, emphasized that Ukraine's macroeconomic and financial stability has been preserved despite "enormous social and economic costs" due to Russia's full-scale invasion.
"The economy has been resilient, with stronger-than-expected macroeconomic outturns in 2023. Ukraine’s performance and commitment under the program has continued to be strong," she said. "Steadfast reform momentum to enhance anti-corruption and governance frameworks, including ensuring the effectiveness of anticorruption institutions, will be essential to help contain fiscal risks, enhance growth and support the path to EU accession."
An external commercial debt treatment in line with program parameters will help "create the needed space for critical spending and restore debt sustainability," she added.
Chris York
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