The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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.
Russia begun sending troops and military vehicles to Belarus ahead of February drills as tensions with the West rise over a potential full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (vayar.mil.by)
Russia has begun sending its troops and combat vehicles to Ukraine’s northern neighbor Belarus ahead of next month’s joint military exercises, in a move likely to stir Western fears that Moscow is preparing to further invade Ukraine.
Belarus's defense ministry announced on Jan. 18 that Russian troops have already arrived, weeks before the start of military drills scheduled for Feb. 10-20. Videos posted on social media allegedly show artillery and other military vehicles moving towards Belarus.
Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko said that the military maneuvers with Russia will be held near the country’s western rim, near Ukrainian borders as well as NATO's eastern members Poland and Lithuania.
Ukrainian military experts have expressed concern that the joint military drills can effectively put pressure on Ukraine’s defense by way of the two country's 1,130-kilometer border with Ukraine.
The joint military exercises are to take place as Russia musters forces along Ukraine’s eastern border, threatening a potential full-scale invasion. Moscow continues to carry out regular military drills with nearly 100,000 Russian troops concentrated close to Ukraine’s border.
Moscow denied having plans to attack its neighbor but has demanded security guarantees from the West, which includes a halt to NATO’s eastern enlargement and a formal veto for Ukraine's potential accession to NATO.
Lukashenko branded the exercises as “normal” drills aimed at “working out a certain plan for confronting the West and the south (Ukraine)," during his meeting with Belarus military officers on Jan. 17.
Belarus remains heavily reliant on its relationship with Russia given harsh sanctions imposed on the country following a brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors in August 2020. The protests were sparked by Lukashenko's "victory" in what appeared to be rigged presidential elections.
Lukashenko said that the drills were needed because Poland and Baltic countries allegedly have more than 30,000 soldiers stationed near Belarus. He also claimed that Ukraine increased its military presence near the Belarus border.
The Kremlin said separately that Moscow was right to be concerned after learning about the reports indicating that Estonia was prepared to host up to 5,000 additional NATO soldiers.
“It is exactly those things that prove that we have reasons to be worried,” Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
NATO deployed four international battle groups to defend Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in 2017 as part of a wider program to deter Russian aggression.
The battalion-sized units were deployed in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and its ongoing offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
The latest major joint exercise between Belarus and Russia was in September involving over 200,000 troops.
Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
