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.
According to the Latvian public broadcaster LSM, the country’s parliament, Saeima, issued a statement on Aug. 11 in which they recognize Russian violence against civilians in Ukraine as terrorism and Russia as a country sponsoring terrorism.
Saeima also called on the EU countries to “immediately suspend the issuance of tourism and entry visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens,” LSM reported citing the statement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the world to label Russia as a terrorist state on July 30, following its attack on the Olenivka prisoner camp in Donetsk Oblast, in which at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners were killed on July 29.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack but presented no proof. Ukraine and its Western partners say that the attack was organized by Russia.
“In order to achieve the objectives of its illegal, aggressive war, Russia aims to intimidate and demoralize Ukrainian people and armed forces, to paralyze the state's capacity — to occupy Ukraine, that is, Russia implements this violence for political purposes,” said Rihards Kols, Chairman of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Commission, as quoted by LSM.
