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 forces launched attacks on nine regions across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, killing at least one and wounding nine, regional governors said early on Feb. 19.
A man in the liberated town of Vovchansk in the northeastern Kharkiv Oblast was killed at home, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. He said that a projectile hit the victim's house during the shelling.
In a village near the liberated Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, two civilians – a 53-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman – were wounded, and the Russian shelling also "seriously damaged" an educational institution there, Syniehubov added.
In the eastern Donetsk Oblast, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Feb. 19 that two civilians – in the embattled city of Bakhmut and the village of Vozdvyzhenka (in the Bakhmut District) – were wounded over the past 24 hours.
Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said that the village of Nevske, located near the border with Luhansk Oblast, came under a "massive" shelling, and an 84-year-old woman was wounded. The governor added that she was taken to a hospital in Donetsk Oblast.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported on Feb. 19 that Russian forces had shelled the liberated parts of the region 55 times over the past 24 hours, wounding two civilians.
Western Ukraine, a relatively safe part of the country, also came under attack on Feb. 19. Russian forces launched a missile strike on the city of Khmelnytskyi on the morning of Feb. 19, wounding two civilians, according to the regional governor Serhiy Hamaliy. He added that a man and a woman were hospitalized, but their condition was stable.
The governor said a military infrastructure site and an area near a public transportation stop were hit.
