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.
Italy has frozen about 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in Russian oligarchs' assets since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the country's central bank said on July 4, as cited by Reuters.
The assets, seized as part of the European Union sanctions against Moscow, reportedly include bank accounts, luxury villas, yachts, and cars.
According to Reuters, the Bank of Italy's anti-money laundering (UIF) unit said in its annual report that the $2.5 billion figure had been updated as of the end of June.
The media outlet also cited the UIF's head Enzo Serata adding that Italy had frozen financial holdings worth around $360 million linked to 80 individuals under the sanctions regime.
Some of the oligarchs targeted by the measures submitted legal appeals, including the Russian-Uzbek metallurgical and telecommunications magnate Alisher Usmanov, Reuters wrote.
On June 30, Bloomberg reported that European leaders had supported the idea of introducing a tax on windfall profits from frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank to finance Ukraine's restoration.
Tetiana Khutor
