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.
116 Ukrainian military personnel were freed from Russian captivity and returned to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange, head of Ukraine’s presidential office Andriy Yermak reported on Feb. 4.
The returned Ukrainian prisoners of war included services members of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, territorial defense units, naval forces, State Border Guard Service, National Guard, National Police, and Special Operations Forces. Two of the 116 were officers, while the rest were privates and sergeants.
“We managed to return 116 of our people, defenders of Mariupol, Kherson partisans, snipers from the Bakhmut direction, and other heroes,” he said.
On the other side of the swap, 63 Russian soldiers were returned from Ukrainian-controlled territory, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing the Russian defense ministry.
Along with the POWs, the bodies of British volunteers Andrew Bagshaw and Chris Parry, as well as the body of Yevhen Kulyk — a volunteer soldier who served in the French Foreign Legion but returned to defend Ukraine after Feb. 24, Yermak said.
British volunteers Bagshaw and Parry went missing during an evacuation mission in the neighboring town of Soledar. Several weeks later, both were confirmed by their families to have been killed in Soledar, caught up in the Russian assault on the city. The exact circumstances of their deaths remain unknown.
At least 3,392 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians remain in Russian captivity as of Jan. 3, according to Alyona Verbytska, the President’s Commissioner for Protecting Defenders Rights. These are the numbers that Russia has officially confirmed, she said.
Ukraine retrieved nearly 1,600 prisoners of war in 2022, according to the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories.
In the most recent prisoner exchange on Jan. 8, Yermak reported that 50 Ukrainian military personnel were freed from Russian captivity.
