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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.
A Razumkov Center’s survey published by the ZN.UA media outlet on May 13 showed that only 9.2 percent of Ukrainians support the initiative to bring Ukraine and Russia to peace “at any cost.”
The poll attributed the iniative to Pope Francis, although he hasn't actually said that peace should come "at any cost."
However, the Pope said on April 30 that the Vatican is involved in a non-public peacemaking mission to try to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, without providing any details.
“I am willing to do everything that has to be done. There is a mission in course now, but it is not yet public,” the Pope told reporters on April 30, as quoted by the Guardian.
The poll showed that most Ukrainians either disagree with the Pope's stance on the war, or find it irrelevant, or don't know about it.
The poll came out on the day when President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Rome, and was scheduled to meet with the Pope, among others.
A third of the polled Ukrainians, 36.2 percent, “don't know anything” about Pope Francis’ position on the war in Ukraine.
Almost 24 percent of the polled Ukrainians are “offended” by the fact that the Pope’s “believes Russians are the same victims of the war as Ukrainians are,” while 14.1 percent do not consider Pope Francis' remarks about Ukraine as “significant.”
Every 10th Ukrainian answering the poll said that “the Pope works in the interests of the Kremlin.”
Only three percent of the respondents had a positive attitude to the Pope.
Zelensky arrived in Rome on May 13 for a short visit, where he plans to meet Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Pope Francis.
Zelensky said in September last year that Ukraine would have no negotiations with Russia until Vladimir Putin’s regime changes. Zelensky presented his own “Peace Formula” two months later.
The 10-point peace plan, which Zelensky introduced at the G20 summit in November 2022, includes the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, the establishment of a Russian war crimes tribunal, the release of all prisoners and forcibly relocated people, and the prevention of ecocide.
Why Ukraine chooses to negotiate on the battlefield, not at peace talks
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed his 10-point peace plan to G20 leaders in Bali on Nov. 15, he had only recently returned from a historic visit to Kherson, the liberation of which marks another great step towards the return of all Russian-occupied territory. Touching on factors…
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