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.
Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, and north of Ukraine. According to local authorities, six people were killed, and 19 were wounded in the past 24 hours.
Russian forces killed two people in Kramatorsk and Bakhmut and wounded eight more in Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the oblast governor, reported on Feb. 3.
In total, Russia hit ten settlements and one community in the region, damaging 19 high-rises, two medical facilities, a school, eight houses, and a shop, Kyrylenko said.
Russian military fired on a residential building in Kharkiv Oblast's Barvinkove overnight on Feb. 3, killing two men and injuring one more, said Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. He added that Russian forces shelled several settlements across Kharkiv Oblast, damaging civilian infrastructure and wounding a woman in Vovchansk.
Russian troops struck Kherson Oblast 65 times using artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), mortars, and tanks, according to Kherson Oblast Military Administration. The attacks killed two people and wounded nine, including a 5-year-old child, the administration wrote.
In the city of Kherson, Russia hit a shipyard, a school, and residential buildings, the local authorities added.
Russian forces shelled Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with heavy artillery overnight on Feb. 3, according to the acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, Volodymyr Orlov. There were no casualties.
Zaporizhzhia regional state administration reported that civilian infrastructure in 15 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast was under Russian fire. Local authorities received 13 reports about the damages to citizens' households and infrastructure sites due to Russian attacks.
Russia hit the Ochakiv community on the Black Sea coast in Mykolaiv Oblast with MLRS, damaging a house, and attacked the Kutsurub community with artillery on Feb. 2, said Vitalii Kim, the oblast governor. There were no casualties in both attacks, according to Kim.
Ukraine's Nothern Operational Command reported that Russian troops had attacked the villages of Hremiach and Tymonovychi in Chernihiv Oblast on Feb. 2, using mortars. There were no casualties or damages.
Russian forces hit the Esman community in Sumy Oblast on the morning of Feb. 3, but there were no casualties or damages, the regional military administration reported. On Feb. 2, Russia targeted the communities of Esman, Shalyhyne, Seredyna-Buda, and Bilopillia 120 times, damaging three houses and a power line, according to the administration.
Five settlements of Luhansk Oblast were attacked by Russian forces in the past 24 hours, the regional state administration wrote. The administration didn't provide information on casualties or damage.
