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.
Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak urged to "calmly react to fakes inventing a victory, which does not exist in reality" on April 3, adding that "Bakhmut is Ukraine."
Yermak didn't specify what "fakes" he meant, but he was likely referring to the April 2 statement of Wagner Group's founder and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's confidant Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin said his forces had captured the city administration building in Donetsk Oblast's Bakhmut, raising the Russian flag there.
The head of Russia's state-backed private mercenary group added that Bakhmut is "legally taken" and the Ukrainian forces were "concentrated in the western area" of the city.
Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Eastern Military Command, told Reuters that Russian troops were "very far" from capturing Bakhmut, adding that the fighting raged around the administration building, which Wagner's head claimed to have seized.
"They raised the flag over some kind of toilet. They attached it to the side of who knows what, hung their rag, and said they had captured the city. Well, good, let them think they've taken it," said Cherevatyi.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its morning update on April 3 that Russian troops "do not stop storming Bakhmut, trying to take it under complete control."
The Ukrainian military repelled more than 30 attacks in the Bakhmut area over the previous 24 hours, according to the General Staff.
About 6,000 Wagner mercenaries, along with 20-30,000 recruits, are now fighting in Bakhmut, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said on March 29, as cited by CNN.
According to Milley, the eight-month-long battle for Bakhmut has become a "slaughter-fest" for the Russian forces.
Anastasiia Lapatina
