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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.
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Friday, May 9
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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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.
(Updated: )Victory Day
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
Ukraine earned 33 points out of 100 in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2022, one point higher than the year before.
"Although it still scores low, war-torn Ukraine is one of few significant improvers on the CPI, having gained eight points since 2013," Transparency International wrote in an article.
A country’s score is the perceived level of public sector corruption among experts and business people on a scale of 0-100, where 0 means highly corrupt, and 100 means very clean, according to Transparency International's website.
A score of 33 means that Ukraine ranks 116 out of 180 countries monitored by Transparency International. The other countries with the same score are Algeria, Angola, El Salvador, the Philippines, and Zambia.
The organization also noted that despite Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has managed to take real steps toward combatting corruption in the country, including a National Anti-Corruption Strategy adopted by Ukraine's parliament and the appointment of a new head of the office that brings corruption cases before the courts.
It also noted, however, that Russia’s all-out war has "disrupted some of the reform processes and exacerbated corruption risks," citing the recent scandal following a report by Ukrainian newspaper Zn.Ua on Jan. 21 that Ukraine's Defense Ministry had purchased food for the military at prices that are between two and three times higher than those at Kyiv grocery stores.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) stated on Jan. 23 that it had begun investigating possible corruption in the Defense Ministry's food procurement before ZN.ua published that investigation on the issue on Jan. 21.
Then on Jan. 24, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers officially dismissed six government officials and greenlighted the firing of five governors in the most significant reshuffle since the start of the full-scale war after a series of journalist investigations alleged misappropriation of funds among several top officials.
Some saw the reshuffle as an effort by Zelensky to clean house and show that state officials' corrupt and ostentatious lifestyle is unacceptable in a country at war. The EU said it welcomed the Ukrainian government's decision to take corruption allegations seriously.
Who are officials ousted in Zelensky's largest reshuffle since start of full-scale war?
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