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 Ukrainian parliament is expected to strip four lawmakers from banned pro-Kremlin parties of their mandates at its next meeting, David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in parliament, said on Jan. 11.
Arakhamia did not specify their names.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky stripped four pro-Kremlin lawmakers of Ukrainian citizenship. These are Andriy Derkach, Taras Kozak, Renat Kuzmin, and Viktor Medvedchuk.
Medvedchuk, a major ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, was a co-leader of the Opposition Platform-For Life, a pro-Russian party that was banned in March 2022.
He was charged with high treason and placed under house arrest in 2021. Medvedchuk fled after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 and was re-arrested in April.
In September he was handed over to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange.
Kozak from the Opposition Platform-For Life is a close ally of Medvedchuk. He was also charged with high treason in 2021.
Derkach, who is wanted by the Ukrainian authorities, was charged with high treason and illicit enrichment in September. Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court issued an arrest warrant for him in absentia in October.
According to the authorities, Derkach had received funds from a Russian intelligence agency to create private security firms that Russia planned to use for capturing Ukraine.
Kuzmin was a deputy prosecutor general in 2006-2013, achieving notoriety under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
He left Ukraine after Yanukovych was ousted by the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014 and returned in 2019, becoming a lawmaker from the pro-Kremlin Opposition Platform-For Life party. He was charged with treason in October 2022.
