The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes: Cargo is offloaded from an aircraft operated by DHL at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 27, 2024. (Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Russia may be behind the dispatches of flammable packages via cargo planes in Europe in preparations for similar operations in North America, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal separately reported on Nov. 4, citing undisclosed Western security officials.
Intelligence agencies across Europe have warned that Russia is plotting violent acts of sabotage across the continent in response to countries' support for Ukraine.
The officials reportedly suspect Moscow of a plot that saw several parcels sent by individuals to catch fire in Germany and the U.K. in July. This could have led the cargo planes to crash if the fires happened during the flight.
The international investigation revealed that the individuals who sent the inflammable parcels also sent non-flammable freights to the U.S. and Canada in what seems to be a test run before more terrorist acts.
The Washington Post named a case involving a parcel that caught fire in July in a hub run by the DHL courier in Leipzig, Germany. According to the outlet, the package was sent from Lithuania by plane and marked for delivery to a fake address in Birmingham, U.K.
U.K. counter-terrorism officials are also investigating whether Russian intelligence officers planted an incendiary device inside a parcel that caught fire at a warehouse near Birmingham.Polish investigators believe that the fire at Birmingham was part of the plot.
Russia has long engaged in a variety of disruptive behavior toward Europe, also using its cyber capabilities to target civilian infrastructure. Moscow is responsible for 80% of all the foreign influence operations in Europe, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said at a conference in Prague on Oct. 9.
Boldizsar is a former Reuters correspondent for Hungary, currently based in Kharkiv, reporting for the Kyiv Independent and various other outlets. He holds degrees in political science, philosophy, and development policy.
Dmytro Basmat
